Punjab CM seeks German support for sustainable development of agri-food
Darpan News Desk IANS, 16 Sep, 2022 11:58 AM
Berlin, Sep 16 (IANS) Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday sought support of the German Agribusiness Alliance for sustainable development of the agri-food sector to benefit farmers in the state.
German Agribusiness Alliance (GAA) is a business initiative of leading associations and companies in the agri-food sector.
Mann said that the expertise of alliance and its member companies include BASF, Bayer, BayWA, CLAAS, John Deere, VDMA, Covestro, GIZ, ECOCERT Group and EKOSEM-AGRAR could be very useful for the food growers in the state.
During deliberations, the Chief Minister envisaged opportunities for mutual collaboration in business and solutions. He said that the alliance could provide on-field handholding to Punjab farmers in best practices of crop management.
Inviting Germany Agribusinesses to the state, Mann said that the Green Revolution led by Punjab has not only made India self-sufficient in agri production but also a world leader in various commodities.
The Chief Minister added that the state is a leader in cereal production and one of the largest milk producers in India and has state-of-the-art export facilities. He said that the strong infrastructure of the state has made it the preferred investment destination for leading MNCs like Nestle, Danone, Pepsico, Coca Cola, Unilever and Godrej.
The Chief Minister has also asked leading German company Verbio group to explore future collaboration opportunities with the state in the renewable energy sector.
The Chief Minister further said that the Verbio Group has strong association with state as its Indian subsidiary, Verbio India Private Ltd. has recently commissioned one of the largest biofuel (biomethane/bio-CNG) production units in India with 33 TPD (tons per day) of capacity in Sangrur.
He said that the plant will produce biogas by anaerobic digestion process and is a great way to solve the problem of stubble burning.
In a letter to Union Textile Minister Piyush Goyal, the Chief Minister has expressed the desire for setting up this ambitious project on the sacred land of Fatehgarh Sahib. He envisioned that once commissioned this project will emerge Punjab as a 'textile hub' of the country.
On April 18, the Supreme Court had cancelled the bail granted to Mishra and directed him to surrender within a week. A bench, headed by Chief Justice N.V. Ramana (retired now) and comprising Justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli, asked the Allahabad High Court to examine afresh whether Mishra should be granted bail or not.
The Afghan nationals have been identified as Kabul resident Mustafa and Kandahar resident Rahimulla Rahim. Both the accused have refugee visas. The official said that they were caught on September 3 from Delhi's Kalindi Kunj area following a tip off that they were coming to Delhi by car. Following their interrogation the police conducted a raid at Noida and recovered more heroin and narcotics.
Judge B.K. Komala has given clear directions that accused seer should not be taken to anywhere during police custody, ruling out any possibility of shifting him to Bengaluru hospital. The police had sought 5 days' custody of the accused seer for investigation.
Last week, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, while extending a red carpet welcome to industrialists and entrepreneurs to invest in Punjab, said the state would emerge as industrial hub of the country.
The SAD chief told the media here that the party would stick to its core principles, including the need for a true federal structure, taking all sections of society and people from all religious faiths with it. He said SAD, the oldest regional party with a 102-year-old track record, would continue to rise to serve the regional aspirations of people of Punjab.
