Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Janusz Piechocinski today agreed to a proposal by Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal for Poland to become a partner State in the Invest Punjab summit being held in October end this year in Chandigarh.The Polish Deputy PM, who hosted the Deputy CM for the entire day today at the province of Lubeskie which is known as an agriculture and agro processing hub, announced this decision to the media after a meeting with Mr Sukhbir Badal.The Polish Deputy PM announced that a number of businessmen and researchers would be part of the delegation which would be headed by a Deputy minister.
Piechocinski also announced that Poland could be a springboard for India and Punjab to enter the European market. He said India could also emerge as a strategic partner along with India as far as offering solutions in the IT and pharmaceutical sectors is concerned. He also offered solutions for dairies in Punjab which could not only raise milk production but also offer scientific cost effective solutions to do so.The Deputy PM said more farmer to farmer exchange of technology could also take place. He said there was immense scope for flower cultivation in Punjab and that Poland could play a crucial role in making this happen.
Speaking to the media and later addressing a gathering of Polish Investors along with the Deputy PM and Lubelskie Voivodship Marshal Stawomir Sosnowskie, Mr Sukhbir Badal while welcoming the Polish initiative to become a partner State for Invest Punjab, said the State would organise a special session for Polish investors during the summit.Badal also urged Poland to upgrade Punjab's milk processing sector as part of the first step to modernise the entire dairy sector in Punjab. He said Poland had achieved a lot by processing 80 per cent of its total milk production compared to a figure of only 8 per cent in Punjab.Badal also announced that Punjab was offering a number of tax incentives. "These incentives ensure that a new investor can recover his project cost in a period of around eight years", he added.
Lubelskie Voivodship Marshal Stawomir Sosnowskie said his province had doubled its food production in the last ten years. He said both Lubelskie and Punjab could partner in agriculture and allied agriculture activities. Invest Punjab CEO Anirudh Tewari listed the advantages of doing business in Punjab as well as detailing how Punjab had scored on the parameter of ease of doing business.Others present on the occasion were Jangveer Singh, Media Advisor to the Deputy chief minister, Additional chief secretary Suresh Kumar, additional principal secretary P S Aujla, Bhavdeep Sardana of Sukhjit Starch and Anoop Bector of Bector Food.