Punjab News Daily

Chandigarh, April 20

In a strategic tie up that will transform the destiny of Punjab’s farmer, the state is all set to a have dedicated Horticulture Experience and Learning Centre in Punjab, on the lines the World Horti Centre ecosystem, to give major push to crop diversification, due to the strenuous efforts of the Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann.

As a part of his visit for investment promotion outreach in the Netherlands on Monday, the Chief Minister undertook key visits to leading horticulture institutions, including the World Horti Centre (WHC), Westland, and the globally renowned Keukenhof, Lisse, to study best practices in sustainable agriculture, floriculture, and high-efficiency farming systems. He mooted the idea of establishing such a centre in Punjab and said that the proposed centre would bring together researchers, academic institutions, industry partners, and government stakeholders to promote innovation, skill development, and the adoption of sustainable agricultural solutions in the state. At the World Horti Centre, a global hub for greenhouse horticulture innovation, Bhagwant Singh Mann was received by CEO Puck van Holsteijn and Manager International Business Lenny Dijkshoorn, who led a comprehensive tour of the facility.

The Chief Minister said that it was a unique experience as they were introduced to the Netherlands’ globally acclaimed ecosystem of greenhouse and controlled-environment agriculture, where the integration of technology, research, education, industry, and government has transformed traditional farming into a high-productivity and sustainable sector.

 He said that the key learnings included the effectiveness of greenhouse and advanced indoor farming systems, which significantly enhance crop yields while ensuring efficient water usage, reduced reliance on pesticides, and improved farmer incomes compared to conventional open-field farming. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that this can be helpful for the state to give a major push to crop diversification and bring the farmers out of the vicious circle of water guzzling crops.