Chandigarh, Jan. 30 -- Rajya Sabha member Satnam Singh Sandhu on Thursday urged the Union government to establish a central horticultural university in Punjab by upgrading the Post Graduate Institute of Horticulture Research and Education (PGIHRE), Amritsar, a centrally-funded prestigious institute sanctioned in 2015, but yet to be established due to land acquisition issues. Raising the issue during Zero Hour, Sandhu said the establishment of this university will lead to the setting up of international standard testing labs and export certification centres, enabling Punjab's fruits and vegetables to reach the global market directly. "The university will promote value addition in agriculture and food processing and will also open doors for agri-entrepreneurship for the youth of Punjab. Considering the Prime Minister's unwavering affection for Punjab, I urge that it be granted the status of Prime Minister's Central Horticultural University. This step will not only strengthen the farmers of Punjab economically but will also provide a permanent and modern solution to the saturation of foodgrain-based agriculture," he said. The RS member said despite horticulture being practised on less than 7% of the land in Punjab, the horticulture produce, which was Rs.6,267 crore in 2011, has now crossed Rs.26,580 crore and there are still immense possibilities....