Punjab govt signs MoU with Ontario
CHANDIGARH: The Punjab government and the government of Ontario province of Canada on Saturday agreed to work in collaboration with each other for giving a boost to agricultural diversification and food processing industry in the state.
A decision to this effect was taken by Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal during a meeting with a high-level delegation from Ontario, led by minister of agriculture Jeff Leal, who called on the CM at his residence on Saturday morning.
The move is aimed at transforming Punjab from a food growing state to a food processing hub, an official release said.
Meanwhile, the Guru Angad Dev Animal and Veterinary Sciences University (GADVASU) and the University of Guelph (Ontario) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in fields of livestock agriculture, aquaculture, food processing and veterinary medicine in the presence of the chief minister, cabinet minister Adaish Partap Singh Kairon and Jeff Leal.
Both the governments agreed to mutually work to prepare a framework for the support and cooperation of the two states in field of diversification of agriculture, food processing, dairy, fishery and piggery sector. It was decided that both the states would ensure the mutual trips of faculty, students and progressive farmers for better exchange of expertise in these fields. It was also decided that University of Guelph and the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) would explore the feasibility of better coordination in these fields.