Farmers’ Column | He lost his job in pandemic, and then pioneered teak revolution in Punjab

A marginal farmer from Dhoot Kalan village in Hoshiarpur, Harwinder is a Class 10 graduate. Popularly known as “Dr Saab”, he now is recognised as a trailblazer in teak farming and nursery development.

Harwinder mainly works with Red Burma Teak (or Myanmar Teak), considered the king among varieties. “First, I procured around 5,000 plants from Bengaluru four years ago. These were developed in a tissue culture lab. Once they grew strong in my nursery, I sold most of them but kept some for further propagation,” he says.

Unlike many others, Harwinder does not have a tissue culture lab. Instead, he built cooling chambers (15×60 feet) and adopted cloning method, which ensures the new plant retains 100% of the mother plant’s features. Each chamber produces 4,000–5,000 plants per batch in 45 days. The saplings are then shifted to a green net house and then in open for hardening and later pruned when they reach 5–6 inches. “I repeat the pruning cycle 5–6 times over 12–18 months. By the time they are ready, the mortality rate is nearly zero. If tissue culture plants are directly planted in soil, mortality exceeds 50%,” he explains.

Once thought unsuitable for Punjab, teak is now proving a game-changer. At least 500 saplings can be planted in an acre — spaced 8×8 feet plant-to-plant and 10×10 feet row-to-row — at a cost of Rs 60,000 (Rs 50,000 for plants, Rs 10,000 on labour and other inputs). Annual maintenance comes to around Rs 10,000 for fertilizers, pruning, and anti-termite treatment. A 12-year-old tree can yield about 15 cubic feet of wood.

“When I started four years ago, teak’s rate was Rs 4,200 per cubic foot. Today, premium Red Burma teak fetches Rs 8,000–9,000 per cubic foot. Even if sold conservatively at Rs 2,000–3,000 per cubic foot, one tree will fetch Rs 30,000–45,000. From 500 trees on an acre, the income comes to Rs 1.5–2.5 crore in 12 years,” he says. In comparison, wheat and paddy together give only Rs 80,000–85,000 per acre per year. “The expenditure over 12 years on teak is not even Rs 2 lakh per acre,” says Harwinder.

He calls it “an FD (fixed deposit) for farmers.” Small farmers, he says, can plant 150 saplings along the boundary of a one-acre field. “This will give them Rs 30 lakh to Rs 45 lakh in 12 years,” he adds.

Harwinder lists multiple varieties of teak — Jangli, MP, Assam, UP, Australian, Sudanese, Nigerian, and the Red Burma, which he favours. “Red Burma teak has six oil layers, the maximum among all types. Its shine improves with age, and its durability in seawater makes it the world’s most valuable wood. It is widely used in houses, furniture, and especially shipbuilding,” he says.

On cultivation, he explains: “Teak can be planted in all soil types except waterlogged areas. In sandy soils, irrigate weekly; in clay or loamy soils, monthly. No irrigation is needed in winters or monsoons. It can survive temperature ranging zero to 55 degrees. Use one-year-old cow dung manure, NPK, fungicides, and anti-termite treatment. The planting season is mid-February to August. Prepare 2×2 feet pits with manure and fungicide 10 days before planting. In the first three years, the tree gains height; in the next 7–9 years, it develops girth, reaching 36 inches diameter and 45–50 feet height.”

Intercropping is possible in the first two years. “Earlier it was believed teak matures in 35–40 years. Now, with modern techniques, it matures in nine years, though for best results one should wait 12 years. It is not a hard crop but it demands precision,” he says. Environmentally too, it is significant: “It consumes nearly 10 times more carbon dioxide than eucalyptus and poplar.”

From his 5.5 kanal nursery, Harwinder now sells about 20,000 plants annually. After deducting expenses of Rs 5–6 lakh, his net profit is Rs 14–15 lakh — a remarkable achievement. “So far, I’ve supplied 50,000 plants. I aim to reach one lakh plants annually in a few years,” he says.

His nursery provides employment to 5–6 people almost year-round. He has supplied saplings for large-scale plantations, including 12 acres near Susan Gurdwara in Bhogpur (5,000 trees), and even to NRIs. “One US-based NRI planted 500 teak saplings in Jalandhar through me,” he says, while adding that with plants we ensure that crop gets 100% results and provide all technical know how and follow ups..

Today, not a single district in Punjab is untouched by his plants. Through his YouTube channel Vedic Hills, Harwinder also educates farmers on teak plantation, positioning himself as both a farmer-entrepreneur and a resource person.

At first glance, teak (Sagwan) may not seem to belong in Punjab’s fields. The state’s agricultural landscape has long been dominated by wheat, paddy, maize, sugarcane, and cotton. Teak, a high-value timber tree, is more often associated with tropical and coastal regions of Southeast Asia and some parts of India. Yet, in recent years, commercial teak farming has quietly taken root in Punjab. At the centre of this shift stands a farmer from a small village who turned an unconventional idea into a pioneering success story.

From the homepage

‘Absolute panic’, say officials as Bengal border districts see rush for birth certificates ahead of SIR

The home that Jagan built: Pawan Kalyan wants ex-CM’s palatial beachside property put to use

Mohan Bhagwat seeks to widen tent, with a clear message – PM Modi’s turf secure