Ludhiana: Agripreneurs hail PAU’s biz boost role

Ramandeep Singh, director of School of Business Studies, says the aim is to help the progressive farmers who want to look beyond just farming and step into agricultural entrepreneurship

Farmers who have turned entrepreneurs have hailed the School of Business Studies (SBS) at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) for guiding them in taking their value-added products to the markets and establishing them as brands.

Farmers who have turned entrepreneurs have hailed the School of Business Studies at Punjab Agricultural University. (HT Photo)

Kaushal Singh, 30, from Sallopur village in Gurdaspur runs a Jaggery business that fetched him ₹7-crore revenue last year. “I was a student of Class 10 when I attended one of PAU’s events in my village. Since then, I came to the university for various training programmes and did an MBA in agri businesses,” he said.

Kaushal’s family grew sugarcane traditionally. In 2015, he set up a processing unit to make jaggery and shakkar. Nowadays, he makes value-added products like biscuits, rusk, and dry fruits with jaggery. He started alone on six acres. Today, he has around 30-35 farmers associated with him. They grow sugarcane together on around 200 acres. “In the first year, we earned ₹12 lakh. In 2024, we had a revenue of ₹7 crore. The business is rising exponentially,” he said. He learnt the technique at PAU. The SBS helped him brand, pack and market.

Ramandeep Singh, director of School of Business Studies, said, “We aim to help the progressive farmers who want to look beyond just farming and step into agricultural entrepreneurship or agri-preneurship.”

Another agripreneur, Gurpreet Singh Gill, 55, from Patiala also set up a processing unit for making sherbet, rose water and other products from flowers using the technology from PAU. He, along with his brother, grows flowers on 15-16 acres of their 36-acre farms. Some 4-5 years ago, they felt the need to up their game in marketing, so they reached the SBS.

“The SBS helped us in branding, marketing and taking our business online,” says Gurpreet.

“We create a value chain that starts in the farms from post-harvest processing to packing, looking for suitable target demography, advertising and getting the product to the customers. We ensure the entrepreneurial ambitions of the farmers find the path they need to succeed in the market,” said the director.