The Punjab elections may still be about a year away, but agriculture and education, two issues at the core of the state’s politics, were mentioned in the Rajya Sabha on the back of a centrally-funded institute hanging fire over the last 10 budgets.
“This University will promote value addition in agriculture and food processing and will also open doors for agri-entrepreneurship for the youth of Punjab. Considering the prime minister’s unwavering affection for Punjab, I urge that it be granted the status of Prime Minister’s Central Horticultural University,” Sandhu submitted.
“This step will not only strengthen the farmers of Punjab economically but will also provide a permanent and modern solution to the saturation of foodgrain-based agriculture,” he added.
Terming it a “very important issue related to the farmers and agriculture of Punjab”, Sandhu said it had been proposed in the Union Budget for 2015-16, but it was unfortunate that the state had been unable to put in place “this gift from the Prime Minister on the ground.”
With 206 horticulture scientist posts, the PGIHRE, he added, was expected to lead to advanced research in fruits, vegetables, and horticulture crops, development of improved and seedless varieties (of fruits), post-graduate education and training in horticulture sciences, which had the potential to boost Punjab’s horticulture economy, farmer incomes and technology transfer to farmers and agro-industries.
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“This project has been stalled for the last 10 years. Despite the land being marked by ICAR (Indian Council of Agriculture Research) and the Social Impact Assessment being completed, a decade of precious time has been wasted. Today, in 2026, as we are moving towards Viksit Bharat, we have to accept that a 10-year-old plan is not sufficient for today’s new opportunities and challenges,” he said.
Underlining the role the PGIHRE can play as a Horticultural University to transform the horticulture sector in Punjab, Sandhu pointed out that despite being practised on less than 7 per cent of the land in Punjab, the state’s horticulture produce, which was Rs 6,267 crore in 2011, has now crossed Rs 26,580 crore and “there are still immense possibilities remaining.”
“The farmers of Punjab have now started positively adopting horticulture. If this institution is given a push in Punjab, the farmers will move rapidly towards crop diversification. Chairman Sir, I assert that under Prime Minister Modi’s Atmanirbhar Bharat Mission, the farmers of Punjab can play a significant role in making the country self-reliant in the field of horticulture,” he also said.
“I propose that this project be upgraded from a Post Graduate Institute to a ‘Central Horticultural University’ and that its establishment be ensured as soon as possible,” he added.
Construction yet to begin
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Construction for the institute, which is to be established in an area of 130 acres with an investment of about Rs 2,000 crore, is yet to begin due to land issues.
Planning and site selection took place from 2016 to 2021, following which the institute was allocated 100 acres of land at Attari village in Amritsar district. Another chunk of land, measuring 30 acres, was required for the establishment of administrative, academic and residential blocks of PGIHRE Amritsar.
This land was selected at Chhidan village, in Amritsar’s Tehsil Lopoke, but there was a delay in the completion of the acquisition, reportedly since it was owned by “a single private person”, raising legal and procedural objections.
