During his visit to Netherlands, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann studied in depth the working practices of agriculture and industry sector for the benefit of farmers. Which played an important role in making that country self-reliant in food grain production. Bhagwant Mann said that there is a need to encourage crop diversity in the state on a large scale. Netherlands can be of great help to Punjab in this direction. He said that the farmers of Punjab have made utmost use of precious natural resources like fertile land and water for the welfare of the country.
Chief Minister Honor visited LT Foods' facility in Rotterdam, where the company highlighted its presence in over 80 countries and strong relationships with over a million farmers. Emphasizing the need for sustainable farming, he said that to meet the international standards, it is necessary to reduce the use of pesticides and promote Basmati rice in the global market.
Through the efforts of Bhagwant Mann, LT Foods assured to establish a Center of Excellence for Basmati Rice in Punjab and promote assured procurement and low pesticide use farming. The Chief Minister advocated strengthening collaboration between Dutch multinational companies and Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) for research and sustainable farming practices.
The Chief Minister expressed hope that this center would prove to be a catalyst in increasing real farm income and preventing over-exploitation of natural resources through increased Basmati production. During this time, he also visited the Floriculture Auction Market located in Aalsmeer, which is the world's largest flower and plant market. Here he understood the high level of coordination of production, logistics and global distribution of the Dutch auction system. Mann expressed his desire to adopt a similar model in Punjab, which will strengthen the agricultural value chain and significantly increase the income of farmers.
The Chief Minister also held a detailed meeting with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Natural Resources of the Government of Netherlands under the leadership of senior officials including the Director-General of Agriculture. Referring to the long-standing agricultural cooperation between India and the Netherlands, he sought Dutch expertise in promoting water-efficient farming, crop diversification, technology-based productivity enhancement and sustainable agricultural practices.
Bhagwant Singh Mann said that Punjab is keen to adopt the advanced farming systems of Netherlands, which include the use of automation, AI, drones, data-based crop management as well as innovations in greenhouse agriculture.
He also briefed the participants about Punjab's progressive policy framework, including the Industrial and Trade Development Policy-2026 and Fasttrack Punjab Portal. He said that these policies ensure timely and transparent approvals. During this, Bhagwant Singh Mann reiterated the commitment of the state government towards strengthening the technology-based, sustainable and globally integrated agricultural and industrial economy.
