The reason may be any — not much satisfaction with what they were doing overseas or need to be with the parents growing old here
06 November, 2026 – Ludhiana : There seems to be a change in the mindset of people, who went abroad for better fortunes. Slowly, but several of them are returning to their roots here in Punjab. The reason may be any — not much satisfaction with what they were doing overseas or need to be with the parents growing old here. There are few others who feel that upbringing of kids should be done in a better way in Punjab.
Talking to The Tribune, Manmeet Singh Toor from Shahkot near Jalandhar said that for the past two years, his entire focus was on growing the dairy farming business, which is being taken care of by the younger brother.
“I went to Canada in 2016-17 and my son is a Canadian Citizen. But the last two years, I have been more into dairy farming in Punjab. I am a mechanical engineer and we, the brothers, have grown our dairy farming business from 100 animals to 250 animals presently. The animals give about 1,500 litres of milk each day, which increases during winters and I feel satisfied as I stay here for 6-8 months and remaining time in Canada but there too, the entire focus remains on growth in the dairy farming business with latest innovations and technology,” said Toor.
After spending over two decades in New Zealand, Lakhvir Singh Rajoana is back to the roots. “I have started dairy-farming and I have 12-15 animals. I wanted my both daughters to grow up in Punjab in a similar environment and my old parents needed me here. It is not a cake walk as the systems in New Zealand are totally different from here. We have to face hiccups with government departments, traffic woes, pollution, weather related issues etc. But I hope to settle well in the coming times,” said Rajoana.
Another person Manjinder Singh Buthari, from Buthari village near Rara Sahib, returned to Punjab in 2023 after realising that home is where the heart is. “After Covid, I realised I had returned to my roots. I had migrated to Australia in 2009 and came back in 2023 to start my dairy farming business. Now both my children are studying here. There were initial challenges, but we are coming out of those. I have got 30 plus animals, and the business is slowly growing,” said Buthari.
Dr Rajpal Singh, a progressive dairy farmer who is attached with GADVASU said that these were a few examples of how people were coming back and reviving traditional farming. “And they are getting good results. These people do share the stories that life overseas was also not as easy as it looks and if that kind of hard work is done here in our own fields, it will bear fruitful results,” said Dr Rajpal.
The Tribune