With the objective of fostering rural entrepreneurship and providing sustained handholding support to emerging agripreneurs, the NIDHI-TBI team and the School of Business Studies, under the umbrella of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), extended their guidance to Mr Sahildeep Singh and Mr Harpinder Singh, two promising entrepreneurs from village Nangal Ghariya, district Mohali. Both aspirants are currently undergoing specialized skill training for Agro-Processing at Skill Development Centre, PAU, where they are learning scientific methods, modern techniques, and best practices in processing and value addition.
With strong determination and a shared entrepreneurial spirit, the duo aims to establish their own jaggery processing unit under the brand name “Taste of Punjab.” Their vision is not only to create a successful and scalable enterprise but also to bring back the cultural essence and natural goodness of traditional jaggery to consumers in a hygienic, standardized, and professionally packaged form.
During their interaction, the entrepreneurs expressed a deep desire to contribute meaningfully to society. They aspire to generate sustainable rural employment in their region, empower local youth, and promote value addition at the village level. Their commitment to produce high-quality jaggery and jaggery-based products reflects their broader goal of supporting rural development while delivering authentic, healthy, and chemical-free products to consumers.
Dr Ramandeep Singh, Principal Investigator, NIDHI-TBI (DST, GoI) and Director, School of Business Studies, lauded the initiative and highlighted the importance of nurturing such grassroots ventures. He encouraged the entrepreneurs to visit and learn from established PAU-trained jaggery processors – Mr Kaushal Singh from village Sallopur, district Gurdaspur; and Mr Bhupinder Singh from village Bargari, district Faridkot – who are successfully running traditional jaggery processing units with innovative practices.
Dr Poonam A Sachdev, Co-Principal Investigator and Principal Food Technologist, appreciated the enthusiasm of the budding entrepreneurs and emphasized that value-added agri-processing ventures like jaggery units have tremendous potential in strengthening rural economies. She assured them of continued mentorship and guidance at every stage of their entrepreneurial journey.
The team NIDHI-TBI also encouraged the duo to adopt market-oriented strategies, focus on quality, and build a strong brand identity. They added that the NIDHI-TBI team is committed to supporting them in business planning, branding, and market linkages to ensure long-term sustainability of their enterprise.