Reliance eyes Punjab as new agro-retail hub

The country's largest petrochemical- Reliance now wants to make Punjab the agro retail nerve centre for Reliance's retail, where the first of its milk units will be set up. In keeping with its retail mantra, the plans are big which has always been the true reliance style. The company is in talks with farmers in Punjab where it will set up 24 centers, which will support a similar milk marketing outfit as in Gujarat. But milk is only part of a larger plan. Reliance has picked up 2000 acres of land across Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Amrtisar and Sangrur.

Punjab has a suitable climate and good agriculture base for milk production. Besides, there is a network of 86 chilling centers for milk collection and for transferring the milk in bulk to the milk plants. Reliance Retail centre is definitely going to boost the dairy development in Punjab.

Reliance has also entered into collaboration with Punjab Agro Food Corporation so that farm & retail linkages with local communities can be executed with ease. Punjab will become RIL's agricultural hub as well as a mainstream centre for Reliance's other retail plans in north India. The fruits and vegetables from Himachal Pradesh and other states will come into these centers. These centers will also help farmers get the latest technical know-how & quality farm equipment through PAFC. The farm produce would be marketed by Reliance at a pre-fixed price for all its supermarkets.

Many exciting & new opportunities are opening up in Punjab as the sudden upsurge & rush of corporates into the state continues. The state has long been the breadbasket of the country. But now it looks like it's graduating into a real hub for India on the global scale as India finally wakes up to the agriculture opportunity. Agriculture is the key to the overall development of the State economy which contributed as much as 25.3 (Q) percent of Gross State Domestic product at constant prices (1993-94) during 2003-2004. As per 2001 census around 39.0(R) percent of the working population of the State is employed in this sector.