Haryana Pitches for Investment in Food Processing, EVs and Logistics at TiECon 2026; CM Nayab Saini Woos Entrepreneurs from 12 Countries
With 9,500 startups, Rs 2.75 lakh crore in exports and 57% of its area within the NCR, Haryana makes a strong case for itself as North India’s next big industrial and innovation destination — but the proof will be in implementation
CHANDIGARH, APRIL 11, 2026
Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Friday used the TiECon Chandigarh Summit 2026 as a platform to aggressively court domestic and foreign investors, pitching the state’s food processing sector, its rapidly expanding logistics ecosystem in the National Capital Region, and its upcoming Electric Vehicle Park as the three most compelling opportunities for capital deployment in the state right now.
Addressing entrepreneurs and industrialists drawn from 12 countries and 27 states, CM Saini sought to project Haryana not merely as an agricultural and industrial state of the old mould, but as an emerging hub of startups, technology, and innovation-driven manufacturing. “India is transitioning from a consumption-driven economy to a production- and innovation-led economy,” he told the gathering, positioning Haryana as a key participant in that national shift.
The summit provided the state government an opportunity to showcase a set of impressive statistics. Haryana, Saini said, is currently the seventh largest state in the country by number of startups, with over 9,500 recognised startups already in operation. Of these, nearly 50 percent are women-led — a figure the state aims to push to 60 percent in the next phase of its startup policy. Cities such as Gurugram, Faridabad, Panchkula and Hisar are being positioned as startup hubs, particularly in IT, agri-tech, fintech, health-tech and manufacturing.
On the trade and export front, Saini highlighted that Haryana achieved exports worth Rs 2.75 lakh crore in 2023-24, making it a major contributor to India’s overall export performance. The state’s geographic advantage was also emphasised: 14 of its districts, covering approximately 57 percent of its area, fall within the National Capital Region, while nearly 66 percent of its territory lies within the influence zone of the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor. This combination of location, connectivity and policy infrastructure, the Chief Minister argued, makes Haryana uniquely positioned to serve as North India’s primary logistics and manufacturing gateway.
On food processing specifically, Saini noted that around 28,000 food processing units are already established in the state, but stressed that vast untapped potential remains. He encouraged investors to see the sector as one with significant headroom for growth, supported by national tailwinds as demand for processed food products continues to rise across India.
In the logistics space, Haryana currently ranks third nationally and first in North India, a standing the state government is looking to consolidate through the development of an integrated multi-modal logistics hub at Narnaul. Meanwhile, an Electronics Manufacturing Cluster spread over 500 acres is being developed at IMT Sohna, an integrated manufacturing cluster is coming up at Hisar, and 10 new Industrial Model Townships are being developed across the state by HSIIDC on the lines of the established IMT Manesar model.
On the policy front, CM Saini outlined a package of incentives designed to lower the cost and complexity of doing business in the state. The Integrated Mini Food Park Scheme offers a capital investment subsidy of 50 percent of project cost, up to Rs 10 crore, in C and D category blocks. Stamp duty concessions range from 100 percent exemption in D category blocks to 50 percent in A and B category blocks, for land purchased or leased in HSIIDC industrial estates and private parks. The Haryana Enterprise Promotion Centre offers a single-window clearance system covering more than 230 services through a unified online portal, and the state has rationalised over 1,100 compliance requirements across 48 departments to reduce the regulatory burden on businesses.
Commissioner and Secretary for Industries Dr. Amit Kumar Agrawal, who also addressed the summit, announced that a new Industrial Estate is being developed at Barwala over more than 550 acres with mixed land use, and invited investors to explore opportunities in the upcoming project. He struck an aspirational note, expressing hope that the next generation of unicorn founders would emerge from Haryana, and said the government’s aim was to instil an entrepreneurial mindset in school-going children — to create job givers, not job seekers.
Former Minister Aseem Goyal, also present at the event, praised the state’s policy direction under CM Saini and described Haryana as scaling “new heights of development.” President of TiE Chandigarh Puneet Verma, Director General of STPI Arvind Kumar, and Director of STPI Shailendra Tyagi also addressed the gathering.
CM Saini was presented the TiECon Chandigarh Award 2026 on the occasion.
The summit comes at a moment when Haryana is simultaneously dealing with governance controversies — including the recent suspension of two IAS officers in connection with an alleged Rs 590 crore bank fraud — and the government will be aware that investor confidence ultimately depends as much on administrative credibility as on policy incentives. For now, however, the pitch has been made. Whether the investment follows will depend on how effectively the state converts its considerable geographic and policy advantages into ground-level results.
