A retired army major is successfully growing willow trees on his farm in Punjab, which is surprising many as the trees are not known to grow in such hot climates.

Willows are in high demand in India as they are used in making cricket bats. Cricket is the most popular game in India, a country with a population exceeding 1 billion.

The Hindustan Times tells the story of how Major Manmohan Singh (retd) came to grow willows on his farm alongside kinnow, litchi, sand and soft pears, plums and poplar. He also farms basmati rice, sugarcane, wheat and turmeric. Singh has won several national and state level awards for his farming exploits.

The risk taken by Singh in planting willows is paying off and the trees are growing well. He started with 23 different species of willow, most of which have survived the hot climate with some artificial sheltering using paddy straw.

Read the full story: Where there is a will, there is willow: armyman shows the way