Agri Incubation Center under PPP mode gets operational at Nauni University

Solan, Nov 16: Dr. YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, has launched a new phase of its Public-Private Partnership (PPP) initiative with the opening of an Agri Incubation cum food processing Center. The center will be operated under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) by Rohru-based Himgiri Agri Solutions which specializes in online agricultural education, food processing, and the value addition of agricultural produce.

At the inauguration ceremony today, Prof. Rajeshwar Singh Chandel, Vice Chancellor of the University, praised the Department of Food Science and Technology for initiating this project, which aims to effectively utilize the university’s facilities and provide valuable services to agri-entrepreneurs along with enriching student’s learning . He said that due to challenges, the centre could not be fully utilized and therefore, the university decided to outsource the centre’s operations to a competent partner with extensive experience in fruit processing and having the necessary licenses.

“The incubation centre will be managed by Himgiri, a company dedicated to the value addition of various fruits and vegetables sourced from local growers. Under this partnership, Himgiri will pay a monthly agreed rental fee to the university, while also offering opportunities for hands-on training to the university’s Experiential Learning Programme (ELP), MSc and MTech students, as well as department scientists, for gaining commercial-scale exposure and the chance to test and scale new technologies developed here in the university,” said Prof. Chandel.

Jitu Chauhan and Joginder Singh, Directors of Himgiri Agri Solutions, expressed their gratitude to the university for its collaboration with the private sector in the agriculture and horticulture fields. They emphasized that the partnership would address two key challenges: providing practical training opportunities for students and enabling farmer-focused businesses to make use of the university’s facilities. They also highlighted that the Agri Incubation Centre would provide internship opportunities and enhance the practical skill set of the university graduates.

Dr. Rakesh Sharma, Head of the Department of Fruit Science and Technology, noted that the centre is equipped with a range of machinery for processing various fruits and vegetables. The building was constructed with support from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) under the ELP on Fruit and Vegetable Processing for Value Addition. Additional equipment was procured through the Institutional Development Plan (IDP). Dr. Sharma expressed hope that this partnership would evolve into the development of joint certificate courses in food processing.

The university and Himgiri Agri Solutions also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in 2023 to collaborate on scaling up agricultural knowledge and technologies in the state and other regions with similar geographical conditions. This partnership focuses on research, education, and skill enhancement for farmers, particularly in fruit production and the manufacturing of value-added products made from organic and natural farming produce.