Punjab farmers take over fields in Georgia, reap a rich harvest

Farmer Gurpreet Singh Brar, originally hailing from Faridkot district of Punjab and currently settled in Dehradun, too, bought 47 hectares in Tsnori the same year. He has been growing wheat since then.

Brar said after seeing them working in the fields, many local farmers in Tsnori resumed farming on the fields lying uncultivated. “And those who had sold their land to Punjab farmers started asking them (Punjabi farmers) if they could sell back their land to them,” Brar said.

Tsnori is located in the Kakheti region of Georgia, which was part of the erstwhile USSR. Located in the East of Georgia, Kakheti accounts for 40.1 per cent of Georgia’s farmland. Kakheti is also Georgia’s wine region where vineyards have been grown for the past 8,000 years.

Brar and Khaira were among 100s of Punjab farmers who moved far from their homeland and tilled new soils. It began in 2012 when an advertisement in newspapers about the availability of farmland in Georgia appeared. Many enterprising people from Punjab, seeking opportunities abroad, discovered the vast stretches of affordable farmland in Tsnori and other parts of the country. With dreams as wide as open fields before them, they pooled their resources and purchased thousands of acres, determined to breathe life into the idle fertile earth in this part of the world. Now, after a decade, Tsnori bears the testimony of Punjab farmers’ brave effort, sowing the seeds of a change in this distant land and going on to inspire local farmers to do the same. Tsnori is now home to around 30 farmers from Punjab, who cultivate mainly wheat and barley on around 4,000 hectares. In other parts of Georgia, Punjab farmers are also cultivating sunflower, maize and vegetables.

“Despite the language barrier and cultural difference, the unwavering spirit and agricultural expertise of Punjab farmers bridged the gap as they toiled, turning fallow land into flourishing farms. As seasons passed, the tale of their success spread like wildfire through local communities. Inspired by the industriousness and ingenuity of the Punjab farmers, local landowners in Georgia began to reconsider the potential of their own land,” Brar, who is also the president of the Indian Investors Welfare Association (registered), said.

“Encouraged by the sight of nice harvests and the promise of prosperity by Punjab farmers, locals too took up the plough, following in the footsteps of their newfound mentors (Punjabis),” said a local Georgian farmer, Davit Eliso, who owns around 500 hectares in Tsnori and surrounding areas.

“Soon, the landscape transformed into greenery, with fields of wheat, corn and vegetables stretching as far as the eye could see. The once-dormant villages bustled with activity once more, as the hum of farm machinery and joy of the needy workers filled the air,” he added.

Besides impacting the economy, the influence of Punjab farmers extended far and wide. Not content with mere self-interest, they embraced a philosophy of community empowerment, providing employment to local farm labourers and sharing their knowledge of sustainable farming practices.

“We have been employing local men and women in our fields, and they are also happy getting regular work due to routine farm practices by both Punjab and local farmers, which was almost halted a decade back,” said farmer Raghubir Singh and his assistant Harpreet Singh, who hail from Kesar Singh Wala village in Bathinda district. They have been working with their uncle Raghubir Singh in farming over 450 hectares.

Unlike the heavy reliance on fertilisers and pesticides common in Punjab, Punjab farmers demonstrated the effectiveness of organic methods.

“As compared to Punjab, our fertiliser consumption is not even half here, and we use just nominal pesticides,” said farmer Kulwinder Singh and Harpal Singh Bedi, who have also been providing combine harvesters to local farmers in Tsnori. This method of farming helps preserve fertility for generations to come, they added.

As for yield, hardworking Punjab farmers are getting almost equal to Punjab’s, which is around 19-20 quintals per acre, while the average yield of wheat in Georgia is around 15-16 quintals.Farmers here prefer to store wheat (storage is available easily) instead of selling at the time of harvesting, which takes place in June-July as rates are as low as Rs 1,600 to Rs 1,700 per quintal, but after a few months, the rates increase to around Rs 2,500 to Rs 3,000 per quintal. Farmers are spending around Rs 30,000 as input cost per hectare because there is no subsidy on fertilisers like urea, which is available for Rs 1,100 to Rs 1,200 per bag (50 kg), while in Punjab, the cost of a bag is around Rs 300 (45 kg). The farmers, who purchased palatial houses in Tsnori and own farm equipment, said they are satisfied with a single crop in a year. Most of the Punjab farmers are doing farming in partnership and after sowing wheat, they come to Punjab and go back in January and February for some required sprays.

Wheat is a nine-month crop in Tsnori because of long cold weather conditions. It is sown in November and harvested in June-July. Farmers mostly get one crop in a year here. There is no tubewell facility as rain and snowfall meet the water requirement apart from the locally available water sources.

“Though the Georgian government banned the sale of agricultural land in 2014, following protests by some local farmers, this does not affect the relations of the Punjabi settlers and their Georgian neighbours, and the reason is their shared vision of growth and mutual prosperity,” said Brar, adding that farmers are now facing some permanent residency (PR) issue as earlier PR was taking place after six years of stay in Georgia, but now the period has been increased to 10 years. “We have prepared a list of around 81 farmers seeking fresh PRs or renewal,” he said.

According to the Central Asia-Caucasus Analyst, a biweekly briefing on current affairs (a publication of Central Asia-Caucasus Institute Silk Road Studies Programme), Georgia produced 157,000 tons of wheat in 2022-23. The Georgian farmers found it difficult to compete with more efficient foreign competitors. The publication report says that according to Nikoloz Beniaidze, the head of Georgia’s Grain Producer’s Association, the best long-term solution is to increase local wheat production. Georgia does not possess large areas of land where the topography and soil conditions are conducive for wheat cultivation. In addition, Georgia has only 50,000-plus hectares under wheat cultivation, and the country’s level of wheat output is hampered by its lack of modern agricultural methods and technology. Georgia is not even producing 50% of the wheat needed currently. Georgia’s domestic wheat production also faces challenges from climate change.

Punjab farmers said now they have learned basic Georgian and don’t feel alien to the picturesque Caucasus region.