Makhan Singh Padda


Sikhs are known not only among the best soldiers, but also 1among the best farmers in the world. If Didar
Singh Bains is the peach King of USA, S. Makhan Singh Padda is the Mr. Strawberry of UK. Origionally
from Punjab, India, Makhan Singh migrated to UK in the 1960s. After settling in Birmingham, he tried his
hand at various odd jobs like working in a factory or a grocery store until he learned about strawberries.
From there, an idea of opening a strawberry farm originated. He collected 80000 Strawberry Plants from a
company and he grew the same in his small farm land. As time passed, Makhan Singh added more land to
his farm. But that wasn’t easy. Many white land owners would not sell land to him directly, so he had to use
a middle man to seal the deals.
After 20 years, now his farm is 160 acres in size and provides work to thousands of people and turning
over millions of pounds each year. When asked why did he prefer farming over service or business, his reply
was farming is the best investment because “it is not for one life, It’s not for me, maybe for my grandchildren
or children.” Now, when Makhan Singh is the owner of a very big Strawberry farm in Evesham not far
from Birmingham in the United Kingdom, called Vicarage Nurseries, which produces more than thousand
tonnes of strawberries each year and supplies to some of the major supermarkets in the area, and he is
known Mr. Strawberry. He is assisted in his work by his son Bal. Although Bal holds a degree in art and
design, he has also perfered to engage himself in farming. He rubbishes claims that a job at the farm is for
the unskilled mind. He says that picking a strawberry, making sure it is the right colour and size and making
sure that it reaches its final place in perfect condition is not a job for the unskilled. The success story of S.
Makhan Singh as a farmer in UK is highly inspiring for others. He is a role model farmer and his prosperty
in that country will motivate many other persons to go for farming and earn a name and wealth in the same.