Nilam

Damohदमोह

12.6 lakh people. Larger than Fiji, Cyprus, or Bhutan. Governed as one cell of one state.

Population
12,64,219 (12.6 lakh)
Area
7,306 km²
Headquarters
Damoh
ODOP: Gram
Gram (Chickpea)WheatBundelkhand Stone

₹2,031 cr

of bankable business potential identified by the government in Damoh.

Source: NABARD PLP 2023-24

Opportunities

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Gram dal and besan milling unit

Unverified

A pulse-milling unit turning Damoh's chickpea harvest into branded dal, besan, and roasted-gram snacks, sold to Bundelkhand wholesalers and packaged-food retail.

Capex
₹12–25 lakh
Payback
2.5 years payback
Risk
Moderate
NABARD-AIFPMFME

NABARD's plan for Damoh · PLP 2023-24

₹2,031 crof bankable credit potential identified by the government

Crop production, maintenance & marketing

₹982 cr

Term loans for agriculture & allied activities

₹413 cr

MSME

₹333 cr

Ancillary activities (incl. food & agro processing)

₹203 cr

Damoh district's NABARD credit plan for 2023-24 estimates about Rs 2,031 crore of lending potential. Farming dominates: roughly Rs 1,642 crore (81%) is for agriculture and allied work, while small and medium businesses (MSME) account for Rs 333 crore (16%).

The single biggest opportunity is the crop loan at Rs 982 crore (48%) - Damoh's fields grow wheat, paddy, maize, gram, urad, masoor and soybean, with potato and onion as cash crops. Beyond crops, the plan points to three concrete clusters. Irrigation has Rs 153 crore of potential because the average farmer's crop loan is only about Rs 30,000 and there is room to push motor pumps, sprinkler and drip systems. Dairy carries Rs 138 crore, backed by 104 dairy cooperatives and a large cattle population. Food processing (Rs 23 crore) is highlighted as under-developed, and the plan openly calls for a food park and food-based industries. Horticulture - coriander, onion, potato, amla and guava - adds Rs 26 crore.

The plan is candid about what holds the district back: too little food-processing capacity so farmers don't get fair prices, weak farm-extension support, and missing milk routes because the Sanchi dairy doesn't reach many villages. It also flags the need for a soil-testing lab in every block, more cold storage and godowns (which banks should finance), poultry and fish hatcheries, and steady power for industry.

See the plan's recommendations

What the plan promotes

  • Crop loan is the backbone of the plan at Rs 981.62 cr (48%) - wheat, paddy and maize as food crops; gram, urad and masoor as pulses; soybean as the main oilseed across a 6.40 lakh ha gross sown area with 199% cropping intensity
  • Irrigation/water resources term lending of Rs 153.03 cr - average per-farmer crop loan is only about Rs 30,200 and the PLP wants it raised toward Rs 59,000 by promoting motor pumps, sprinkler and drip systems
  • Dairy development worth Rs 137.63 cr term-loan potential, plus poultry Rs 11.67 cr and sheep-goat-pig Rs 3.88 cr - Damoh has 8990 crossbred and 4.71 lakh indigenous cows and 104 dairy cooperative societies
  • Farm mechanisation term loans of Rs 72.76 cr to popularise better farm equipment and machinery among the district's 1.30 lakh land holdings (avg 2.34 ha, two-thirds under 2 ha)
  • Horticulture, plantation and sericulture Rs 26.01 cr - the district's named horticulture lines are spices (coriander/dhaniya), vegetables (onion and potato) and fruits (amla and guava)
  • Food and agro-processing Rs 22.61 cr, with the PLP recommending a food park and food-based industries; the district already has 95 food-processing units (rice/flour/dal/oil/tea)

Gaps the plan names

  • Inadequate food-processing capacity despite good pulse, oilseed and horticulture output - PLP suggests promoting small food-processing units under the Agriculture & Horticulture department scheme so farmers get a fair price
  • Weak agricultural extension support and too few Krishi Mitras - the existing extension network needs strengthening and technology dissemination, with farm demonstrations in farmers' fields
  • Absence of milk routes across large parts of the district - the Sanchi (Bhopal Dugdh Sangh) does not reach many areas, so village-level milk collection centres should be set up with help from banks, the Animal Husbandry department and the milk union
  • Missing block-level rural infrastructure - no soil-testing laboratory in every block, need to popularise high-density cropping, improve animal health care, increase the number of milk routes, set up poultry/fish hatcheries, improve fish markets and ensure uninterrupted power to industries
  • Shortage of storage - godowns, micro-godowns and cold storage require private investment, and banks are urged to take an active role in financing such storage capacity

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.

Bundelkhand stone: raw blocks → cut & polished slabs

Unverified
Raw 85%Processed 15%

Damoh's Bundelkhand building stone largely leaves as raw quarried block, surrendering the cutting and polishing margin to processing centres elsewhere. Cut, dressed and polished slabs and tiles command several times the raw-block price in construction and decor markets. A local cutting-and-polishing unit would retain that value-add and skilled employment within the district.

Gram: raw chickpea → besan, dal & roasted snacks

Unverified
Raw 85%Processed 15%

Damoh's gram (its ODOP) is sold raw at mandi prices, with milling into dal and besan captured outside the district. Split chana dal, besan flour, roasted chana and packaged snack products fetch a strong premium over raw chickpea and reach retail directly. A local dal-and-besan mill would keep that processing margin in the district.

Growth signal

Demand for pulse-based flours and high-protein snacks is rising in India.

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

Industrial clusters

1 fact

About Damoh

Damoh district is located in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The town of Damoh is the district's headquarters. It has an area of 7,306 square km.

Source: Wikipedia — Damoh district

Madhya Pradesh

Damoh

See Damoh elsewhere

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