Punjabis across the world know him as 'The peanut prince' of Argentina.
Simmarpal Singh, an agriculture science graduate from the Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, transformed the fortunes of Olam International in Argentina, the company he worked for as the country head in 2005, when he decided to experiment with cultivating peanuts, rather than source it from local farmers most of whom were already bound by contracts with other companies.
"We piloted with 700 hectares, and then the company approved the proposal. Next year we took it to 6000 hectares, then 9000. Within a few years we reached 2000. hectares."
Simmarpal shares the story behind his sobriquet. A former Indian ambassador to Argentina first used the term 'Peanut Prince' for him in a private blog.
The blog mentioned that some locals who thought that he was actually a 'King' beacuse of his turban. However, Simmarpal laughs it off as an exaggeration by the writer. But he admits that a lot of people wanted to speak to him, and were inquisitive due to his turban.
"Being a Sikh, people wanted to speak to me, ask me about my turban and Sikhism. They were quite inquisitive."
Now CEO with another multinational company in India, Simmarpal attributes his quick success to the 'mehar' (God's grace) and his perpetual keeness to learn, adaptability to new conditions and his ability to lead his team from the front.
On the growing distrust among small farmers for big corporations, he says corporations are vital for increasing productivity and profitability in farming. However, farmers have to be made a part of the growth story. He advocates following the 'best models' available, such as that of Amul, wherein after paying farmers for their produce, profits are also shared with them.
