Hanumangarh, a district in northern Rajasthan, has quietly emerged as one of India’s most promising potato farming regions. At the heart of this agricultural transformation stands Parmatma Singh Khosa, the founder of Sarabloh Group, whose three-decade journey from a family farm to a structured agri-enterprise has reshaped how potato farming in Hanumangarh operates today. His story is not just about one crop — it is about empowering over a thousand farmers, building cold storage infrastructure, and establishing contract farming systems that deliver stable incomes to rural households across Rajasthan.

The Roots: How Potato Farming Started in Hanumangarh in 1994

The story of potato cultivation in Hanumangarh begins in 1994, when Parmatma Singh Khosa’s father, Shri Shivraj Singh Khosa, pioneered potato farming in the district. At that time, Hanumangarh was entirely dependent on traditional crops. There was no local experience with potato cultivation, no technical guidance available, and absolutely no cold storage or market infrastructure for the crop.

Despite these challenges, this bold experiment proved that Hanumangarh’s soil, climate, and irrigation systems were ideally suited for potato production. The success of that first season laid the groundwork for what would become a district-wide potato revolution over the following decades.

Challenges Before the Transformation

No Local Cold Storage (Pre-2016)

Before 2016, there was not a single cold storage facility in Hanumangarh district. Farmers were forced to transport their potato harvest 60 to 100 kilometres away for storage. This resulted in heavy transportation costs, post-harvest losses during transit, and forced selling at low prices. Many small and marginal farmers simply could not afford cold storage at such distances and had to sell their entire harvest immediately after digging, regardless of market prices.

Price Volatility and Inconsistent Acreage

The absence of contract farming and market linkages meant that potato prices in Hanumangarh fluctuated wildly from year to year. When prices were high in one season, farmers would dramatically increase their potato acreage the next year. When prices crashed, they would reduce acreage just as sharply. This boom-and-bust cycle made potato farming in Hanumangarh unpredictable and prevented any long-term agricultural planning in the region.

Parmatma Singh Khosa: Education, Vision, and the Birth of Sarabloh Group

Parmatma Singh Khosa completed his B.Sc. in Agriculture followed by a Master’s in Agri-Business Management from IABM, Bikaner in 2009. His academic training gave him a critical insight: farming is not merely about production — it is an entire value chain that includes storage, processing, marketing, and industry linkages. Unless farmers are connected to all these elements, their income can never be truly stable.

After a brief corporate stint at Crystal Phosphate Pvt. Ltd. as Business Development Manager (2009–2010), where he observed organised farmer networks and industry-farmer models firsthand, Khosa returned to Hanumangarh with a clear mission.

In 2010, Khosa left his corporate career and founded Sarabloh Group — an agri-enterprise dedicated to providing quality agricultural inputs, technical guidance, and extension services to farmers across Hanumangarh. The company began working village by village, building direct relationships with farming communities.

Milestones: Building the Potato Ecosystem in Hanumangarh

Nanak Agro Cold Store: A Turning Point for Hanumangarh’s Potato Economy

The establishment of Nanak Agro Cold Store in 2016 was perhaps the single most impactful development for potato farming in Hanumangarh. Starting with a 5,000 metric tonne capacity (now expanded to 8,000 MT), it became the district’s first local cold storage facility. Plans are already underway to expand capacity by an additional 10,000 MT.

The impact was immediate and transformative. Farmers no longer needed to transport produce over long distances. Crop quality was preserved through proper cold chain management. Distress selling at harvest time reduced dramatically. And most importantly, farmers gained the power to hold their produce and sell when market prices were favourable.

Today, Hanumangarh has a total cold storage capacity of approximately 21,000 metric tonnes, a remarkable achievement for a district that had zero cold storage infrastructure just a decade ago.

Contract Farming: Ending Price Volatility for Hanumangarh Potato Farmers

The introduction of contract farming for processing-grade potatoes after 2022 was the decisive solution to the price volatility that had plagued Hanumangarh’s farmers for nearly three decades. Through partnerships with major processors like Iscon Balaji Foods and Mantra Agri, Sarabloh Group established a system where farmers receive pre-determined prices before the season begins.

This contract farming model now covers 3,500 acres of potato cultivation and extends to 15,000 acres of potato–maize rotational cropping. Farmers receive guaranteed market access, quality-based payments, and technical support throughout the crop cycle. The result: farmer incomes have increased by an estimated ₹50,000 per acre, and the boom-and-bust acreage cycles have stabilised.

Tabdilli FPO: Organising 1,000+ Farmers for Collective Strength

Tabdilli Farmer Producer Company Limited (FPO), established in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, serves as the organisational backbone for potato farming in Hanumangarh. With over 1,000 farmers as members, the FPO enables collective input procurement at lower costs, organised marketing and selling, access to government schemes and subsidies, and training programmes in collaboration with CPRI (Central Potato Research Institute) and NHM (National Horticulture Mission).

The FPO model has been particularly transformative for small and marginal farmers who previously lacked the scale to negotiate with buyers or access institutional support. Through Tabdilli FPO, even farmers with 2–3 acres of land can now participate in contract farming and cold storage facilities.

Key Achievements at a Glance

Hanumangarh’s Strategic Advantage: Location and Logistics

Hanumangarh’s emergence as a potato hub is supported by its strategic geographic location along the Amritsar–Jamnagar Bharatmala Corridor, one of India’s most important national highway projects. This connectivity provides rapid access to major processing facilities, reduced transportation costs to key markets in Punjab, Gujarat, and beyond, and direct linkage to India’s expanding food processing industry.

The district currently has over 12,000 acres under potato cultivation, with more than 3 lakh bags produced through contract farming. Production of maize — a key rotational crop with potatoes — has also crossed 5,000 metric tonnes this year, adding another revenue stream for Hanumangarh’s farming community.

In the News: Hanumangarh Bhaskar Coverage

Future Plans: Expanding Cold Storage, Processing, and Exports

Parmatma Singh Khosa’s vision for the future of potato farming in Hanumangarh is ambitious and clearly defined. The immediate plans include expanding Nanak Agro Cold Store by an additional 10,000 metric tonnes, launching maize drying and processing units to complement potato operations, scaling contract farming across Rajasthan with a focus on grading, sorting, and traceability, and enabling export-grade production with international quality standards. His goal is to establish Hanumangarh as a model region for high-yield, processing-grade potato cultivation in India — a place where technology, contract farming, and efficient post-harvest systems work together to ensure lasting farmer prosperity.

With approximately 30,000 metric tonnes of potato production projected in the near future, Hanumangarh is positioned to become one of Rajasthan’s most significant contributors to India’s potato processing industry.