Gurmeet Khudian rolls out red carpet for UK investment, pitches Verka, five rivers for global leap
Khudian holds deliberations with British delegation led by Deputy High Commissioner Alba Smeriglio to explore collaboration in organic farming, dairy and crop residue management
Punjab leads in kinnow, carrot, seed potato production; tops country in milk availability at 1.28 litres/day, says Khudian
Babushahi Bureau
Chandigarh, October 28, 2026: Making a strong pitch to transform Punjab from India's food basket into a global food processing hub, Agriculture & Farmers Welfare and Food Processing Minister S. Gurmeet Singh Khudian today rolled out the red carpet for British investment in organic farming, pack-houses, cold chains and dairy technology to take homegrown brands like Verka and Five Rivers to the UK market.
The Agriculture Minister S. Gurmeet Singh Khudian, along with Principal Secretary Food Processing Ms. Rakhee Gupta Bhandari, held threadbare deliberations here at Kisan Bhawan with a British delegation comprising Ms Alba Smeriglio, British Deputy High Commissioner, Chandigarh, Dr Nicholas Gribit, First Secretary Trade, British High Commission, and Mr Anup Narayan, Senior Trade Adviser, to deepen bilateral cooperation in organic farming, dairy, crop residue management and quality certification other sectors.
Welcoming the delegation, S. Khudian said the welfare of Punjab's farmers will remain the cornerstone of any international partnership and assured full support from the state government for collaborations.
Underlining Punjab's pivotal role as India's food basket- spanning wheat, basmati rice, kinnow, peers, litchi, milk and dairy products, seed potatoes and carrots- the Agriculture Minister said the state offers a thriving food processing ecosystem. Home to global giants like Nestlé (Moga), Hindustan Unilever, ITC and Amul alongside homegrown brands such as Cremica, Verka, Sohna and Five Rivers (PAGREXCO), Punjab now aims to move up the value chain from raw produce supply to processing, packaging and branding within the state, he added.
“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.
Highlighting the state's economic muscle, S. Gurmeet Singh Khudian noted that agriculture and allied activities contribute 27% to Punjab's Gross State Value Addition (GSVA), while food processing alone accounts for 8% of registered factories and 26.68% of the state's registered manufacturing GSVA. Punjab contributes 47% of wheat and 37% of rice to the central pool. The ecosystem is backed by 3,292 registered food processing factories, 151 Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), 3,750 micro-enterprises under the PMFME scheme, three Mega Food Parks, 1.2 million MT cold storage capacity and four NABL-accredited food testing laboratories, he added.
Outlining investment opportunities, S. Khudian highlighted technology transfer and brand collaboration, citing state-backed brands Verka and Five Rivers as win-win models where Punjab's processing strengths can leverage UK technology and market access. Invest Punjab will provide end-to-end facilitation to UK investors, he said.
The Minister invited UK collaboration for shared infrastructure including pack-houses and pre-cooling facilities, cold-chain connectivity, technology transfer for modern processing equipment and product innovation in value-added uses of kinnow peels and by-products. Kinnow juice concentrate, honey, dairy products including butter, cheese and SMP, and ready-to-eat items like canned kidney beans have been identified as potential exports to the UK market.
On the India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), Ms. Rakhee Gupta Bhandari said it offers Punjab zero-duty access on 99% of UK tariff lines for processed foods, basmati, spices, honey, pickles and kinnow products, while protecting sensitive sectors like dairy and cereals to safeguard 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.
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 in the meeting.