CM Mann Launches MARKFED's 'Sohna' Products at SIAL Paris 2026
Synopsis
Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann inaugurated MARKFED's stall at SIAL Paris 2026 and launched two new 'Sohna' brand products — canned chickpeas and red kidney beans — marking a strategic push to take Punjab's value-added food products to European and global markets while creating fresh income avenues for farmers.
Key Takeaways
CM Bhagwant Mann inaugurated the MARKFED stall at SIAL Paris 2026 on 18 October 2026 .
Two new products — 'Chickpeas in Brine' and 'Red Kidney Beans in Brine' — were launched under the 'Sohna' brand.
MARKFED , established in 1954 , is Punjab's apex cooperative for agricultural procurement and marketing.
The launch signals a shift from bulk commodity exports to branded, shelf-ready, value-added products for international buyers.
The initiative aims to create new income avenues for Punjab farmers by capturing higher margins through branded processing.
SIAL Paris is one of the world's largest food and beverage trade fairs, offering direct access to European buyers and distributors.
Punjab's cooperative marketing muscle landed on one of the world's biggest food trade stages on Sunday, 18 October 2026, as Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann inaugurated the MARKFED stall at SIAL Paris 2026 and unveiled two new export-ready products — 'Chickpeas in Brine' and 'Red Kidney Beans in Brine' — under the cooperative's consumer brand 'Sohna'.
Canned pulses, global ambition: what the Sohna launch means
The two new product lines mark a deliberate pivot for MARKFED (Punjab State Cooperative Supply and Marketing Federation Limited): moving from bulk grain procurement — the federation's bread-and-butter since its founding in 1954 — toward finished, shelf-ready products designed for international retail buyers. Chickpeas and red kidney beans processed in brine require no soaking or cooking, making them instantly attractive to European food-service chains and retail supermarkets looking for convenient, traceable pulse products.
The Chief Minister's Office framed the launch as 'ਪੰਜਾਬ ਦੇ ਮਿਆਰੀ ਖੁਰਾਕੀ ਉਤਪਾਦਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਕੌਮਾਂਤਰੀ ਬਾਜ਼ਾਰਾਂ ਤੱਕ ਪਹੁੰਚਾਉਣ' (expanding Punjab's quality food products to international markets) — emphasising new income avenues for farmers and stronger global recognition for Punjab's agricultural output.
SIAL Paris: why this platform carries weight
SIAL Paris is among the world's largest food and beverage trade exhibitions, drawing thousands of buyers, distributors and food-industry decision-makers from across Europe and beyond. A presence there signals that MARKFED is not merely processing surplus crops domestically — it is actively courting export deals at the highest tier of global agri-food commerce.
India's broader agri-export strategy has increasingly pushed state-level cooperative bodies to build direct market linkages rather than route everything through central trading houses. Punjab's appearance at SIAL Paris 2026 fits squarely into that architecture — a sub-national entity putting a branded face on what has historically been a commodity trade.
From minimum support price to branded shelf: the farmer angle
MARKFED procures pulses and other crops from Punjab farmers, often under government support-price mechanisms. By converting raw produce into value-added packaged goods, the federation can theoretically offer better prices upstream — since the margin captured at retail level is far higher than at the bulk commodity stage. That is the logic CM Mann's government is betting on: branding as a tool of agrarian income support, not just a marketing exercise.
The 'Sohna' brand already covers processed and packaged pulses for domestic markets; the Paris launch extends that identity into the export corridor, testing whether European consumers will pay a premium for traceable, cooperative-sourced Indian pulses. Whether firm export orders follow the inaugural fanfare will be the real measure of the initiative's impact — and those numbers will likely surface in the months ahead.
Point of View
Exporting under a state brand rather than selling bulk to traders is a politically useful narrative that ties agrarian income improvement directly to AAP's governance record. If export orders materialise, it validates the strategy; if they don't, the optics of a Paris launch without downstream results will invite scrutiny. More broadly, it reflects a national trend of state governments seeking direct international market access, bypassing traditional commodity channels — a structural shift in how Indian agriculture monetises its output.
NationPress
18 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is MARKFED Punjab?
MARKFED (Punjab State Cooperative Supply and Marketing Federation Limited) is the apex cooperative body in Punjab, established in 1954 , responsible for procuring, processing and marketing agricultural produce — including pulses, wheat and paddy — from Punjab farmers.
What products did Punjab launch at SIAL Paris 2026?
Punjab launched two new products under the 'Sohna' brand at SIAL Paris 2026 : 'Chickpeas in Brine' and 'Red Kidney Beans in Brine' — ready-to-use canned pulse products aimed at international retail and food-service buyers.
What is SIAL Paris and why does it matter for Indian agri-exports?
SIAL Paris is one of the world's largest international food and beverage trade fairs. A presence there gives Indian state cooperatives like MARKFED direct access to thousands of European buyers, distributors and food-industry decision-makers, bypassing traditional commodity intermediaries.
How does the Sohna brand help Punjab farmers?
By processing raw pulses into value-added branded products and selling them in international markets, MARKFED aims to capture higher margins than bulk commodity trading would allow — margins that can, in principle, be passed upstream to farmers through better procurement prices.
What should I watch for after the SIAL Paris launch?
The key metric to track is whether firm export orders from European buyers follow the launch, and whether the Punjab government announces new food-processing infrastructure or additional product lines under the 'Sohna' brand in upcoming state budget announcements.
