Punjab Newsline | Chandigarh
Punjab Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and Food Processing Minister S. Gurmeet Singh Khudian on Wednesday invited British investment in organic farming, pack-houses, cold-chain infrastructure and dairy technology to boost agricultural exports and expand the global reach of homegrown brands such as Verka and Five Rivers.
Khudian, along with Principal Secretary, Food Processing, Rakhee Gupta Bhandari, held detailed discussions with a British delegation at Kisan Bhawan to explore opportunities for bilateral cooperation in organic farming, dairy, crop residue management, quality certification and other allied sectors.
The delegation comprised British Deputy High Commissioner in Chandigarh Alba Smeriglio, First Secretary (Trade) at the British High Commission Dr Nicholas Gribit, and Senior Trade Adviser Anup Narayan.
Welcoming the delegation, Khudian said the welfare of Punjab's farmers would remain the cornerstone of every international partnership. He assured the delegation of the state government's full support for collaborations aimed at strengthening agriculture, food processing and export opportunities.
Highlighting Punjab's position as India's food basket, the minister said the state has a strong agricultural base, producing wheat, basmati rice, kinnow, pears, litchi, milk and dairy products, seed potatoes and carrots.
He added that Punjab has a well-established food-processing ecosystem, with multinational companies such as Nestlé, Hindustan Unilever, ITC and Amul, alongside homegrown brands including Cremica, Verka, Sohna and Five Rivers, promoted by PAGREXCO.
Khudian said the state aims to move beyond supplying raw agricultural produce and focus on processing, packaging and branding products within Punjab to generate greater value for farmers and food-processing enterprises.
“Punjab brings a strong agricultural base, established processing capabilities, recognised brands and a growing pool of innovative enterprises. Punjab ranked first in kinnow, carrot and disease-free seed potato production, second in pears and third in peas and honey, while topping the country in per capita milk availability at 1.28 litres per day,” he said.
The minister added that Punjab seeks to connect its agricultural strengths with UK market demand, technology, investment and expertise to create new opportunities for farmers and businesses.
Underlining the sector's economic contribution, Khudian said agriculture and allied activities account for 27 per cent of Punjab's Gross State Value Added (GSVA), while food processing contributes 8 per cent of registered factories and 26.68 per cent of the state's registered manufacturing GSVA.
Punjab contributes 47 per cent of wheat and 37 per cent of rice to the central pool. The state's food-processing ecosystem includes 3,292 registered food-processing factories, 151 Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), 3,750 micro-enterprises under the Pradhan Mantri Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME) scheme, three Mega Food Parks, cold-storage capacity of 1.2 million metric tonnes and four NABL-accredited food-testing laboratories, he said.
Outlining investment opportunities, Khudian highlighted technology transfer and brand collaboration, identifying state-backed brands such as Verka and Five Rivers as potential models for partnerships that combine Punjab's processing capabilities with British technology and market access. He said Invest Punjab would provide end-to-end facilitation to UK investors.
The minister also invited British companies to collaborate in developing shared infrastructure, including pack-houses, pre-cooling facilities and cold-chain connectivity. Other areas of potential cooperation include modern food-processing equipment, product innovation and the commercial utilisation of kinnow peels and other by-products.
Kinnow juice concentrate, honey, dairy products such as butter, cheese and skimmed milk powder (SMP), and ready-to-eat products such as canned kidney beans have been identified as potential exports to the UK market.
Discussing the India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), Principal Secretary Rakhee Gupta Bhandari said the agreement offers Punjab zero-duty access on 99 per cent of UK tariff lines for products including processed foods, basmati rice, spices, honey, pickles and kinnow products. She added that sensitive sectors such as dairy and cereals have been protected to safeguard the interests of local farmers.
“Zero tariffs open the door, meeting UK quality and food-safety standards is how we walk through it and that is where partnership with the UK can help most,” Bhandari said.
Additional Secretary, Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Latif Ahmed; Joint Secretary, Punjab Mandi Board, Harjit Singh Sandhu; Director, Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Gurjit Singh Brar; Director, Animal Husbandry, Paramdeep Singh Walia; PAU Director (Research) Dr Ajmer Singh Dhatt; and other senior officials were also present at the meeting.
