Crop diversification: Netherlands can help Punjab, says CM Mann

Chandigarh: Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann, during his ongoing visit to the Netherlands, on Wednesday announced the setting up of a Centre of Excellence for Basmati in Punjab in collaboration with LT Foods — a global leader with a major processing hub in Rotterdam — to promote crop diversification and sustainable farming.

Mann said LT Foods has agreed to establish the centre, along with a pilot for low-pesticide cultivation and assured procurement. He also emphasised the importance of reducing pesticide use to ensure Punjab's basmati meets international trade standards. After a meeting held at the LT Foods facility in Rotterdam, Mann said in a press statement, "There is a need for sustainable farming, including reducing pesticide usage to meet international standards and to promote basmati rice in the international market."





While LT Foods has a major facility in Rotterdam and a European presence (LT Foods Europe), it is actually an Indian-origin global FMCG company headquartered in Gurugram, India. As part of his visit, Mann explored best practices in agriculture and industry to benefit Punjab's farmers. "For the sake of the nation, farmers in Punjab have overexploited the state's fertile land and water resources, making it essential to shift away from the wheat-paddy cycle," said Mann. Emphasising the need for crop diversification, Mann said that the Netherlands can help Punjab in that direction. He also called for expediting collaboration between Dutch multinationals and Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) for research and sustainable agriculture practices.

Highlighting the economic challenges in farming, Mann said, "With the squeezing margins of profit, agriculture is no longer a profitable preposition due to which farmers are facing a lot of problems for their basic subsistence. The production potential of the available technology of the crops was already nearly exploited and has now almost reached a plateau in growth."

The chief minister also visited the Floriculture Auction Market at Aalsmeer, the world's largest flower and plant marketplace, where he observed the Dutch auction system and its highly integrated ecosystem of production, logistics and global distribution. He emphasised Punjab's intent to adopt similar models to strengthen agri-value chains and enhance farmers' incomes.

"Punjab is keen to adopt advanced agricultural systems of the Netherlands, including the use of automation, AI, drones and data-driven crop management, as well as innovations in greenhouse farming," he said. He also proposed potential partnerships between PAU and leading Dutch institutions such as Wageningen University & Research, particularly in applied research, innovation and knowledge exchange.

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