Chandigarh, October 28, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Punjab Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and Food Processing Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian has invited British investment and technological collaboration to strengthen the state’s food processing sector, with a focus on organic farming, pack-houses, cold chains, dairy technology and expanding homegrown brands such as Verka and Five Rivers into international markets.
Khudian, along with Principal Secretary, Food Processing, Rakhee Gupta Bhandari, held detailed discussions with a British delegation at Kisan Bhawan, Chandigarh, to explore opportunities for bilateral cooperation in organic farming, dairy, crop residue management, quality certification and other allied sectors.
The delegation was led by British Deputy High Commissioner to Chandigarh Alba Smeriglio and included Dr. Nicholas Gribit, First Secretary, Trade, British High Commission, and Anup Narayan, Senior Trade Adviser.
Welcoming the delegation, Khudian said the welfare of Punjab’s farmers would remain central to every international partnership. He assured the British representatives of the state government’s full support and facilitation for investment and collaborative initiatives.
Highlighting Punjab’s position as India’s food basket, the minister pointed to its strong agricultural base and production of wheat, basmati rice, kinnow, pears, litchi, milk, dairy products, seed potatoes and carrots. He said the state had a well-established food processing ecosystem and significant potential to move beyond supplying raw produce towards processing, packaging and branding products within Punjab.
The state is home to major companies such as Nestlé in Moga, Hindustan Unilever, ITC and Amul, alongside homegrown brands including Cremica, Verka, Sohna and Five Rivers, associated with PAGREXCO. Khudian said collaboration with British businesses could help Punjab strengthen its processing capabilities, improve product quality and expand its international market reach.
“Punjab brings a strong agricultural base, established processing capabilities, recognised brands and a growing pool of innovative enterprises. Punjab ranked 1st in kinnow, carrot and disease-free seed potato production, 2nd in pears and 3rd in peas and honey, while topping the country in per capita milk availability at 1.28 litres per day. We see scope to connect these strengths with UK market demand, technology, investment and expertise, creating value for businesses while strengthening opportunities for farmers and food-processing enterprises,” he said.
Emphasising the sector’s economic significance, Khudian said agriculture and allied activities contribute 27 per cent to Punjab’s Gross State Value Addition (GSVA), while food processing accounts for 8 per cent of registered factories and 26.68 per cent of the state’s registered manufacturing GSVA.
He added that 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.
Outlining potential areas for investment, the minister highlighted technology transfer, brand collaboration and modern processing infrastructure. He described Verka and Five Rivers as potential platforms for partnerships that could combine Punjab’s agricultural and processing strengths with British technology, expertise and market access.
Khudian said Invest Punjab would provide end-to-end facilitation to British investors interested in exploring opportunities in the state.
He also invited UK collaboration in developing shared infrastructure, including pack-houses, pre-cooling facilities and cold-chain connectivity, alongside the introduction of modern processing equipment and product innovation.
Potential opportunities include value-added products made from kinnow peels and other by-products, kinnow juice concentrate, honey, dairy products such as butter, cheese and skimmed milk powder (SMP), as well as ready-to-eat products, including canned kidney beans.
Discussing the India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), 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 had 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,” she said.
The meeting was also attended by Latif Ahmed, Additional Secretary, Agriculture and Farmers Welfare; Harjit Singh Sandhu, Joint Secretary, Punjab Mandi Board; Gurjit Singh Brar, Director, Agriculture and Farmers Welfare; Paramdeep Singh Walia, Director, Animal Husbandry; Dr. Ajmer Singh Dhatt, Director (Research), Punjab Agricultural University (PAU); and other senior officials.
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