Nilam

Dangs (Ahwa)ડાંગ

2.28 lakh people. Larger than the Seychelles, Monaco, or Vatican City. Governed as one cell of one state.

Population
2,28,291 (2.28 lakh)
Area
1,764 km²
Headquarters
Ahwa
ODOP: Nagali ProductsODOP: Strawberry & Strawberry Products
StrawberryNagli (Finger Millet)Forest ProduceSaputara Hills

₹224 cr

of bankable business potential identified by the government in Dangs (Ahwa).

Source: NABARD PLP 2023-24

1 ready-to-build opportunity

Opportunities

What you can build here

Each opportunity card maps to a banker-ready DPR template. Generate a customised DPR with your promoter and capital details — ₹499 per report.

Filter / browse →

Saputara eco-tourism and tribal-village stays

Unverified

Run a curated forest and tribal-heritage tourism operation off Saputara's existing footfall, selling guided Western Ghats walks, Bhil-village homestays, and finger-millet farm experiences to Gujarat and Mumbai weekenders.

Capex
₹12–25 lakh
Payback
3 years payback
Risk
Moderate
DCHTourism-Subsidy

NABARD's plan for Dangs (Ahwa) · PLP 2023-24

₹224 crof bankable credit potential identified by the government

Crop production, maintenance & marketing

₹58 cr

Term loans for agriculture & allied activities

₹51 cr

Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME)

₹48 cr

Ancillary activities (incl. food & agro processing)

₹14 cr

Dang (Ahwa) is a small, hilly, tribal district in South Gujarat where the NABARD 2023-24 plan sees a total credit opportunity of about 223.82 crore. Farming and allied work dominate at roughly 143.52 crore (64%), while small industry (MSME) accounts for about 48.18 crore (22%) - notable because Dang is described as industrially backward.

The biggest single opportunity is everyday crop loans, around 57.79 crore, for paddy, finger millet (nagli), jowar, groundnut and tur. A second strong cluster is fruit and tree farming: South Gujarat is a horticulture hub famous for Kesar mango, the district grew 35000 tonnes of mango in 2019-20, and about half the farmers keep land under 'Wadi' planted with mango and cashew. Term loans for plantation/horticulture (13.52 cr), farm machinery (13.23 cr) and dairy (13.19 cr) are the next largest lines.

A clear gap is food processing, about 13.21 crore - there is no processing centre in the whole district, so 95% of produce goes to Valsad and Navsari to be processed. Forest produce (bamboo, gum, mahua, teak, medicinal herbs) is another local strength.

The plan flags real hurdles: heavy rains and floods cause crop loss most years, banks lend very little term credit (only 8.6% of target met in 2021-22), and all 61 cooperative credit societies (PACS) are dormant, so the local credit network needs rebuilding.

See the plan's recommendations

What the plan promotes

  • Crop production credit of 57.79 cr is the single biggest opportunity; major crops are paddy, nagli (finger millet), jowar, gram, groundnut, tur and horticulture, with 2023 the International Year of Millets giving millet cultivation a special push
  • South Gujarat is the 'Horticulture Hub' famous for Kesar mango (plus Rajapuri and Totapari varieties); the district produced 35000 MT of mangoes from 5000 ha in 2019-20, and ~50% of farmers keep land under 'Wadi' planted mainly with mango and cashew
  • FPO formation is the lead thrust area: 4 FPOs have already been formed across all 3 blocks with NABARD support, under the Central Sector Scheme '10000 FPOs', opening up digital agriculture and drone-technology pilots with Navsari Agricultural University and NGOs
  • Dairy and animal husbandry carry strong term-loan potential (AH dairy 13.19 cr, poultry 1.93 cr) backed by 144 dairy cooperative societies and 1020 indigenous poultry units in the district
  • Plantation & horticulture term loans of 13.52 cr and farm mechanisation of 13.23 cr are the largest farm-credit sub-lines; KVK at Waghai trains farmers in commercial agri-horti cultivation including mango grafts produced by BAIF women SHGs
  • Food & agro processing potential of 13.21 cr is wholly untapped - there are no processing centres in the district and ~95% of produce is currently pooled and processed in neighbouring Valsad and Navsari (nearest centre at Lachhakadi)

Gaps the plan names

  • Heavy and erratic rainfall: the district falls in the assured-rainfall zone (avg 2713 mm, 3038 mm over last 3 years; 3006 mm in 2021) and is prone to heavy rainfall causing floods, leading to large crop and economic losses every year
  • Very low off-take of term loans - banks need to be more focused on agriculture term credit (achievement was only 8.59% of target in 2021-22)
  • Persistent under-achievement of credit targets: crop loan achievement was just 18.76% and total priority sector only 22.13% of the 2021-22 target
  • Dormant cooperative network - all 61 PACS in the district are non-functioning and dormant since long, so the cooperative credit channel needs strong State-Government intervention
  • No agro-processing infrastructure within the district; ~95% of produce is processed in neighbouring districts, leaving the food & agro-processing potential untapped

Value-chain gaps

Money this district loses today

Raw output sold cheap, value added elsewhere — each gap below is an opening for a local business.

Nagli (finger millet): raw grain → flour, flakes & malt

Unverified
Raw 85%Processed 15%

Nagli (ragi/finger millet) is mostly consumed or sold as raw grain at subsistence prices in the Dangs. Cleaned, milled ragi flour, malted ragi, flakes, and ready-mixes ride the millet/health-food wave and sell at a clear premium over loose grain. A small graded-milling and packaging unit lets the district's tribal millet reach urban health-food shelves under a clean-label brand.

Growth signal

Millet-based health foods saw a demand surge after the International Year of Millets push.

Strawberry: fresh fruit → jam, pulp & frozen packs

Unverified
Raw 85%Processed 15%

Dangs strawberries (an ODOP focus around Saputara) are highly perishable and sold fresh at low farmgate prices, with heavy distress sales and spoilage in glut weeks. Frozen pulp, jam, crush, and dried strawberry command several times the fresh-fruit price and ship year-round to bakeries, dairies, and retail. A cold-chain plus processing unit near Ahwa would convert a perishable hill crop into shelf-stable branded products.

Growth signal

India's frozen-fruit and fruit-pulp market is expanding with QSR and packaged-dessert demand.

Resources

What this district has

Tap a category to see the facts and figures underneath. Numbers marked unverified are AI-extracted and need a sourcing pass.

Agriculture & natural resources

2 facts

Tourism

1 fact

About Dangs (Ahwa)

Ahwa is the headquarters of Dang District in the state of Gujarat, in India. It is situated about 1800 feet above the sea level. The whole district, inhabited by the tribal people, is a hilly area covered with thick forest. Venomous snakes from here are sent to the Haffkine Institute, Bombay, for preparing injections.

Source: Wikipedia — Ahwa

Gujarat

Dangs (Ahwa)

See Dangs (Ahwa) elsewhere

Ask anything about starting up in Dangs (Ahwa)

Get a first answer in minutes.

Want to ask the community something specific?

Sign in to post an ask.

Who's building here

No one has claimed a project here yet. Be the first builder visible to future visitors.

Spotted a gap, fact, or opportunity we missed?

Submit it to the moderation queue. We review within 72 hours.

Contribute →