The North News
Chandigarh, January 31
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann has said South Korea’s expertise in smart farming, agricultural machinery and biotechnology could help make agriculture profitable again for small farmers in the state, as discussions on potential collaboration gathered pace in Chandigarh.
A South Korean delegation held detailed talks with the Punjab government following the chief minister’s recent visit to the country, signalling growing interest in technology-led partnerships as Punjab looks to modernise its farm sector.
The discussions focused on vertical farming, automation, advanced seed technology and small agricultural machinery — areas where South Korea has developed solutions suited to limited landholdings. Mann told the delegation that such models were highly relevant for Punjab, where shrinking farm sizes have made traditional agriculture increasingly unviable.
“Because of fragmentation of land, farming is no longer a profitable venture for a large section of our farmers,” the chief minister said, adding that technological intervention was now essential.
Sharing details of the meeting on X, Mann said the talks aimed to enhance cooperation between Punjab and South Korea to make agriculture a sustainable business. He also invited the delegation to attend the Progressive Punjab Investors’ Summit in Mohali in March.
Punjab, he said, had played a historic role in making India food-secure, emerging as a surplus state with the support of Punjab Agricultural University. Today, however, new challenges required fresh solutions.
“Vertical farming and efficient mechanisation emerged in South Korea because of small landholdings. That experience is directly relevant for Punjab,” Mann said.
The chief minister recalled that India and South Korea gained independence around the same time and initially faced similar challenges of poverty and food insecurity. While Punjab overcame this through agricultural transformation, he said the next phase would depend on innovation and global best practices.
Mann also referred to his visit to Pangyo Techno Valley, often described as South Korea’s Silicon Valley, saying Punjab was keen to collaborate on automation of farm machinery, smart equipment, biotechnology, transplanters and combine harvesters.
Calling it an honour to host the delegation, he formally invited South Korean companies to take part in the Progressive Punjab Investors’ Summit 2026, to be held in Mohali from 13 to 15 March.
Members of the visiting delegation welcomed the state government’s vision and expressed interest in exploring concrete partnerships in the near future.
Mann had visited South Korea in December 2025 as part of a focused outreach to position Punjab as a destination for global investment. During the trip, he met industry leaders and technology firms to explore collaboration in agriculture, advanced manufacturing and technology-driven solutions, with the aim of boosting productivity, improving farm incomes and supporting sustainable growth in Punjab.