Akolaअकोला
18.1 lakh people. Larger than Bahrain, Estonia, or Mauritius. Governed as one cell of one state.
- Population
- 18,13,906 (18.1 lakh)
- Area
- 5,431 km²
- Headquarters
- Akola
₹4,280 cr
of bankable business potential identified by the government in Akola.
Source: NABARD PLP 2023-24
Opportunities
What you can build here
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NABARD's plan for Akola · PLP 2023-24
₹4,280 crof bankable credit potential identified by the government
Crop production, maintenance & marketing
₹1,693 cr
MSME (Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises)
₹1,402 cr
Term loans for agriculture & allied activities
₹330 cr
Informal credit delivery — Others (SHG/JLGF, PMJDY)
₹309 cr
Akola district's NABARD credit plan for 2023-24 sizes up about Rs.4,280 crore of lendable potential. Farming is the backbone — agriculture takes Rs.2,294 crore (about 54%) and small businesses (MSME) Rs.1,402 crore (about 33%), with the rest going to housing, education, solar and SHG loans.
The biggest single opportunity is crop loans at Rs.1,693 crore, on the back of Akola's famous cotton, soybean and pigeon-pea (tur) belt; green gram is the district's One District One Product. On the processing and business side, the plan points to food & agro processing (Rs.119 crore), storage like warehouses and godowns (Rs.69 crore), and a strong MSME push around the district's 7 MIDC estates — today mostly pulse-grading and cotton ginning, but with room to grow into an edible-oil hub and cotton-to-cloth garment units. Allied activities add up too: dairy (Rs.71 crore), poultry, fish farming across the Purna and other rivers, plus Rs.117 crore for farm machinery and Rs.98 crore for irrigation. With ~300 sunny days a year, rooftop solar is a named thrust area.
The plan is frank about the gaps: only 17% of cropland is irrigated, about 11,000 ha carries saline water, Barshi Takli's groundwater is 'critical', and weather swings keep hurting harvests. It urges crop diversification, integrated farming, and linking far more farmers to FPOs for better prices.
What the plan promotes
- Cotton, soybean and pigeon pea (tur) are the major kharif crops; wheat and green gram are the main rabi crops — green gram is the district's One District One Product (ODOP) pick.
- Crop production alone carries Rs.1693.08cr of credit potential (40% of the plan), reflecting Akola's well-known cotton and pigeon-pea growing belt (cotton 1.05 lakh ha, soybean 2.46 lakh ha in 2021-22).
- MSME potential of Rs.1402.00cr anchored on 7 MIDC industrial estates — mostly agro units doing pulse sorting/grading and cotton ginning & pressing; the plan flags scope to build an edible-oil hub and cotton-to-cloth garment factories.
- Dairy development (Rs.71.40cr) and poultry (Rs.7.32cr): the PLP wants milk production doubled and a dairy value-chain unit set up with corporate help; youth entrepreneurs urged to start allied-activity units.
- Food & agro processing potential of Rs.119.16cr, plus storage infrastructure (warehouses, market yards, godowns) worth Rs.68.96cr.
- NABARD's Tribal Development Fund (TDF) WADI project covers 1000 tribal families across 14 villages in Patur block, raising and smoothing their year-round income.
Gaps the plan names
- Weak and inadequate irrigation — only 0.84 lakh ha (17.39% of gross cropped area) is irrigated, leaving 3.98 lakh ha rainfall-dependent; lack of water canals, wells and drip installation holds back the rural economy.
- Around 11000 ha of saline water track affects 4 blocks; groundwater in Barshitakali (Barshi Takli) block is in the 'critical zone', leaving farmers reliant on surface water.
- Volatile weather — drought-like conditions in 2018-2019 and excess rainfall in 2020-2021 damaged crops; the plan urges crop diversification and integrated farming systems (IFS) to build resilience.
- Inadequate power supply and general infrastructure gaps continue to constrain development of various sectors.
- Too few farmers are linked to FPOs; the PLP wants more growers attached to Farmer Producer Organisations to get competitive prices and add value to commodities.
See the plan's recommendations
What the plan promotes
- Cotton, soybean and pigeon pea (tur) are the major kharif crops; wheat and green gram are the main rabi crops — green gram is the district's One District One Product (ODOP) pick.
- Crop production alone carries Rs.1693.08cr of credit potential (40% of the plan), reflecting Akola's well-known cotton and pigeon-pea growing belt (cotton 1.05 lakh ha, soybean 2.46 lakh ha in 2021-22).
- MSME potential of Rs.1402.00cr anchored on 7 MIDC industrial estates — mostly agro units doing pulse sorting/grading and cotton ginning & pressing; the plan flags scope to build an edible-oil hub and cotton-to-cloth garment factories.
- Dairy development (Rs.71.40cr) and poultry (Rs.7.32cr): the PLP wants milk production doubled and a dairy value-chain unit set up with corporate help; youth entrepreneurs urged to start allied-activity units.
- Food & agro processing potential of Rs.119.16cr, plus storage infrastructure (warehouses, market yards, godowns) worth Rs.68.96cr.
- NABARD's Tribal Development Fund (TDF) WADI project covers 1000 tribal families across 14 villages in Patur block, raising and smoothing their year-round income.
Gaps the plan names
- Weak and inadequate irrigation — only 0.84 lakh ha (17.39% of gross cropped area) is irrigated, leaving 3.98 lakh ha rainfall-dependent; lack of water canals, wells and drip installation holds back the rural economy.
- Around 11000 ha of saline water track affects 4 blocks; groundwater in Barshitakali (Barshi Takli) block is in the 'critical zone', leaving farmers reliant on surface water.
- Volatile weather — drought-like conditions in 2018-2019 and excess rainfall in 2020-2021 damaged crops; the plan urges crop diversification and integrated farming systems (IFS) to build resilience.
- Inadequate power supply and general infrastructure gaps continue to constrain development of various sectors.
- Too few farmers are linked to FPOs; the PLP wants more growers attached to Farmer Producer Organisations to get competitive prices and add value to commodities.
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.
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.
About Akola
Akola district is a district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. The city of Akola is the district headquarters. Akola district forms the central part of Amravati Division, which was the former British Raj Berar Province.
Source: Wikipedia — Akola district
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