PAU inks pact with Chhattisgarh firm for hybrid veggies

The Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) today inked a pact with a Chhattisgarh-based company for producing and selling hybrid brinjal and pumpkins.
"The PAU inked an MoU with the VNR Seeds Private Limited in Raipur for offering non-exclusive rights to the company to produce and sell the seed of PAU developed brinjal hybrid PBHR 42 and two pumpkin hybrids PPH 1 and PPH 2 in the country," an university spokesman said here.
Baldev Singh Dhillon, vice chancellor, PAU, was present at the MoU signing ceremony.
The pact was signed by Ashok Kumar, Director of Research, PAU and Vimal Chawda, Managing Director, VNR Seeds Private Limited.

Dhillon said, "The university is engaged in production and supply of breeder, foundation, certified and truthfully labelled seeds of the recommended varieties/hybrids."
The PAU wishes to establish close linkages with the seed producers for the large scale production of varieties and hybrids of vegetable crops and their marketing, he added.

Kumar said the university is engaged in research and development of high yielding varieties and hybrids of field, vegetable and fruit crops.
Under this agreement, the product would be labelled as "the hybrids developed by Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana and seed produced and marketed by VNR Seeds Pvt. Ltd," he informed.

A S Dhatt, head, department of vegetable science, said the dark purple colour brinjal hybrid is good for bartha making.
The pumpkin hybrids are extra early in maturity and have small fruit size and are bush type, he explained, saying this is the new segment in pumpkin, developed by PAU.