Shrirang Devaba Lad
A Parbhani farmer and Bharatiya Kisan Sangh organiser known for his cotton-growing methods, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2026.
Shrirang Devaba Lad is a farmer whose methods for growing cotton have been taken up by growers across India. In 2026 he was named for the Padma Shri, from Maharashtra [1].
Organiser
Lad was born on 1 January 1947 in Malsonna village, Parbhani district, and studied at Shivaji College, Parbhani [2]. From 1969 he worked as an RSS pracharak in the Sillod, Bhokardan, Kannad and Jalna talukas [2]. He is a regional organising secretary and national executive member of the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh [2].
Cotton
Lad developed a new way of growing cotton that, according to his citation, has been used in all of India’s cotton-growing states [2]. The citation says farmers using it have raised cotton yields from 5–6 quintals an acre to 25–30 quintals [2]. He has also worked on jowar and tur (pigeon pea), with similar gains in jowar yield reported in his citation [2].
His methods have been evaluated by the Central Institute for Cotton Research in Nagpur, and he is described as the first farmer in India to sit on one of its committees [2].
In December 2025 Vasantrao Naik Agricultural University gave him an honorary DSc [2].
Sources
- [1] Padma Awards 2026: list of awardees — Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Accessed 11 October 2026.
- [2] Padma Awards 2026 investiture ceremony brochure: citation for Shrirang Devaba Lad — Press Information Bureau, Government of India. Accessed 12 October 2026.
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