Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann during a meeting with top officials of BMW group in Munich. (Photo: @PunjabGovtIndia)German Luxury carmaker BMW has agreed to set up its auto part manufacturing unit in Punjab, the state government Tuesday said, adding the decision was taken during the visit of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann at the leading auto giant’s headquarters in Germany.
During the visit, Mann showcased the state government’s “exemplary work to promote industry after which BMW agreed to set up its auto component unit in Punjab,” it said. An official release quoting Mann said this will be BMW’s second unit in India after one, which is already operational in Chennai. He said this will give a major boost to industrial growth of the state and open new employment avenues for the youth.
The CM also invited BMW to collaborate with the state in the e-mobility sector. He was apprised that e-mobility is a major sector of focus for the auto giant, which targets 50 per cent of its global sales to consist of fully electric vehicles by 2030. The CM said Punjab’s EV Policy is expected to usher in a new era for the e-mobility sector in the state. He also invited BMW delegation to attend the Progressive Punjab Investors’ Summit scheduled for February 23-24, 2023.
Earlier in the day, Mann invited leading German company BayWa to provide sustainable agriculture business solutions to give a boost to the agriculture sector in Punjab. On a visit to Germany to woo investors, Mann called on designated CEO of BayWa Marcus Pöllinger, CEO Vista Dr Heike Bach and senior vice-president (IT development) BayWa Group Tobias Horstmann during his tour to Munich.
Mann apprised the representatives of the company that Punjab is predominantly an agrarian economy with a large number of its populace dependent on agriculture. Punjab, Mann said, wants to upgrade agriculture activities to ensure that farmers are immensely benefited from it.
Mann invited BayWa to provide sustainable agriculture business solutions that will help mechanization of agriculture. He said BayWa, a leading agri-trading and service company, can play an important role for Punjab’s industrial ecosystem in terms of forward value chain linkage. He also laid thrust on the need for solutions to address various pertinent topics for Punjab like climate change, irrigation, yield forecast, harvest progress analysis, assessment of climate change impact on agriculture production to validate investment plans.