Jammu : Suneel Singh- a 39-year-old Ex-Serviceman from GundarnaTagood, Tehsil Mughal Maidan District Kishtwar has turned his passion for walnut farming into a profession. He served the nation as an Indian Army Soldier from 2004 to 2021 and developed a passion for horticulture with special alignment towards walnut crop.
Chasing his passion, Suneel contacted ICAR-Central Institute of Temperate Horticulture, Srinagar seeking information about the walnut varieties and technologies available for taking up his eunoia of walnut cultivation and propagation. He got an early support from ICAR-CITH, Srinagar including supply of elite walnut varieties and true-to-type planting material for establishing the initial mother blocks; know how on propagation techniques especially annular/ring/ patch budding and cleft grafting, in walnut; guidance on pollination management for understanding male and female flowering synchronization and compatible pollinizer planting; rejuvenation of old and inferior trees with superior quality varieties, orchard layout and plantation design, including spacing, irrigation setup and soil management practices; support in establishing a mother block for elite germplasm conservation and production of scion wood; continued advisory support for nursery management; disease control and varietal identification & registration.
ICAR-CITH, Srinagar is also assisting and guiding him for protection of walnut varieties/ selections through PPV&FRA and their promotion through PPP mode. This early institutional mentoring from ICAR–CITH, Srinagar helped Suneel Singh gain confidence and technical skills, transforming his small start into a model walnut enterprise.
Armed with guidance and support from ICAR-CITH, Srinagar and his own innovation and dedication Suneel has made it big since 2021,
Under walnut propagation he achieved 90% success rate in annular/ring budding and 50% success rate in cleft grafting under open field conditions which is exceptional for walnut.
Identified, maintained, and multiplied seventeen early-bearing, soft-shell, better quality, high yielding walnut varieties/ selections suited to local agro climatic conditions.
Raised 70, 000 seedling rootstocks of walnut and produced 25, 000 grafted/ budded plants of walnut during the last three years (2021-2024). One of the cluster bearing selections (SS-1) which has been applied for registration/ protection through PPV&FRA represents 50% of this planting material.
Developed mother block on 2 ha land of walnut selections which are under testing for registration through PPV&FRA, New Delhi.
Developed nursery block of grafted and budded walnut plants on 1 ha land with assured irrigation supply and accessibility to the main road. His nursery was accredited by the State Horticulture Department in 2017 and NHB in 2023.
Supplied planting material of walnut (SS-1 and other elite selections) to Kishtwar (8,000), Doda (1,000), Ramban (500), Udhampur (800), Kashmir (150), Kathua (700), Uttarakhand (10,000), Himachal Pradesh (3,000), Sikkim (10), Nagaland (100), Manipur (200), Mizoram (150) and therefore covered an area of about 150 ha under walnut in these states.
Developed and implemented a community driven lift irrigation system from the SigdiChatroo River for assured quality water supply.
His YouTube channel “Kishtwar Gold Walnut Farm” is subscribed by 1047 subscribers having 105 videos on walnut for the benefit of farmers, stakeholders, and other viewers. He is also promoting walnut cultivation as a profitable enterprise through other social media like Facebook.
Suneel Singh was earning Rs 2 lakh per annum during 2021 when he retired from his service and started his journey for walnut cultivation and propagation in 2021. Now he generates an annual income of 15-20 Lakh per annum from nursery (90%) and walnut sales (10%), provides planting material to farmers in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Sikkim, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram thereby expanding walnut area and productivity, acts as a trainer and motivator for local youth, students and farmers.
Suneel Singh advocating walnut cultivation as a superior alternative to apple because of its resilience to weather vagaries, organic nature, low-input friendly, suitable for dry temperate conditions, no need of cold storage, limited post-harvest losses, ease of transportation, higher plant life (>200 years), higher market value (Rs 400-500/kg shelled and Rs 1200-1400/kg for kernel), market for by-products like green hull, shell, pellicle, oil etc.
Suneel Singh’s journey stands as a testament to how scientific guidance, when combined with passion and perseverance, can transform livelihoods and inspire rural entrepreneurship. With ICAR-CITH’s timely support and his own determination, Suneel Singh has turned walnut cultivation into a profitable, sustainable and inspiring model for others to follow.
