Bhandaraभंडारा
12.0 lakh people. Larger than Fiji, Cyprus, or Bhutan. Governed as one cell of one state.
- Population
- 12,00,334 (12.0 lakh)
- Area
- 3,716 km²
- Headquarters
- Bhandara
₹2,329 cr
of bankable business potential identified by the government in Bhandara.
Source: NABARD PLP 2023-24
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.
NABARD's plan for Bhandara · PLP 2023-24
₹2,329 crof bankable credit potential identified by the government
Crop production, maintenance & marketing
₹1,100 cr
MSME (Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises)
₹501 cr
Term loans for agriculture & allied activities
₹251 cr
Ancillary activities (incl. food & agro processing)
₹150 cr
Bhandara district's NABARD credit plan for 2023-24 sees about ₹2,328.57 crore of lending potential across all priority sectors. Farming is the backbone: agriculture and allied activities make up ₹1,544.93 crore (58% of the plan), while small businesses (MSME) account for ₹501 crore (22%) and everything else (housing, education, exports, social and renewable-energy projects) the rest.
The biggest single opportunity is the crop loan at ₹1,099.93 crore (47% of the whole plan) — most people here grow paddy, plus soyabean, tur and sugarcane. Three concrete clusters stand out for an entrepreneur. Dairy is the largest allied line at ₹93.17 crore, with 428 animal-husbandry co-operatives and 212 milk-collection centres already in place. Fish and prawn farming carries ₹18.07 crore of potential, fed by the Wainganga river and the big Gose Khurd irrigation project. Food and agro-processing is worth ₹125.76 crore, building on 350 existing rice, dal and oil mills and the district's fine steel and manganese.
The plan is frank about what is missing. Connectivity, irrigation, storage, power and marketing are all weak. It calls for more cold storage, grading and sorting, testing labs and weather advisories, better working-capital support for small units, and cluster-based post-harvest infrastructure. The district has 5 MIDC industrial areas but is still largely undeveloped, so manufacturing and skill-building are wide open.
What the plan promotes
- Crop loans dominate at ₹1,099.93 cr (47% of the plan); main Kharif crops are paddy, soyabean, tur and sugarcane, with paddy grown on ~1.76 lakh ha producing ~3.6 lakh MT.
- Dairy development is the largest allied term-loan opportunity at ₹93.17 cr, backed by 428 AH-sector (milk/fishery/poultry) co-operative societies and 212 milk collection centres.
- Fisheries and prawn culture potential of ₹18.07 cr drawn from the Wainganga river, 6 small rivers, the major Gose Khurd irrigation project, 4 medium and 59 small irrigation projects.
- Food & agro processing potential of ₹125.76 cr, supported by 350 existing rice/flour/dal/oil/tea processing units and the district's role as a fine-quality steel and manganese producer.
- MSME working-capital potential of ₹419.25 cr for the self-employed workforce; the district has 5 MIDCs and 164 industrial co-operative societies but remains industrially under-developed.
- Horticulture and plantation potential of ₹11.95 cr — climate suits mango, guava, banana and custard apple.
Gaps the plan names
- Inadequate basic infrastructure — poor connectivity, irrigation, marketing facilities, storage, power supply, health care and education — has held back the rural economy.
- Capital formation in agriculture and manufacturing, plus large-scale skill development of rural youth, is needed to put the district's resources to use.
- Agricultural infrastructure such as crop-management and weather advisories, testing laboratories, farm mechanisation, storage, sorting, grading, transportation and marketing tie-ups needs to be built up.
- Working capital is critical for small and medium enterprises; banks need to extend adequate working capital to these units.
- Capacity-building of small and marginal farmers for exports, and stronger bank finance for infrastructure and post-harvest technology on a cluster-based approach, need attention.
See the plan's recommendations
What the plan promotes
- Crop loans dominate at ₹1,099.93 cr (47% of the plan); main Kharif crops are paddy, soyabean, tur and sugarcane, with paddy grown on ~1.76 lakh ha producing ~3.6 lakh MT.
- Dairy development is the largest allied term-loan opportunity at ₹93.17 cr, backed by 428 AH-sector (milk/fishery/poultry) co-operative societies and 212 milk collection centres.
- Fisheries and prawn culture potential of ₹18.07 cr drawn from the Wainganga river, 6 small rivers, the major Gose Khurd irrigation project, 4 medium and 59 small irrigation projects.
- Food & agro processing potential of ₹125.76 cr, supported by 350 existing rice/flour/dal/oil/tea processing units and the district's role as a fine-quality steel and manganese producer.
- MSME working-capital potential of ₹419.25 cr for the self-employed workforce; the district has 5 MIDCs and 164 industrial co-operative societies but remains industrially under-developed.
- Horticulture and plantation potential of ₹11.95 cr — climate suits mango, guava, banana and custard apple.
Gaps the plan names
- Inadequate basic infrastructure — poor connectivity, irrigation, marketing facilities, storage, power supply, health care and education — has held back the rural economy.
- Capital formation in agriculture and manufacturing, plus large-scale skill development of rural youth, is needed to put the district's resources to use.
- Agricultural infrastructure such as crop-management and weather advisories, testing laboratories, farm mechanisation, storage, sorting, grading, transportation and marketing tie-ups needs to be built up.
- Working capital is critical for small and medium enterprises; banks need to extend adequate working capital to these units.
- Capacity-building of small and marginal farmers for exports, and stronger bank finance for infrastructure and post-harvest technology on a cluster-based approach, need attention.
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 Bhandara
Bhandara district is an administrative district in the state of Maharashtra in India. The district headquarters are located at Bhandara. The district occupies an area of 3717 km2 and has a population of 1,200,334, of which 19.48% are urban as of 2011. The growth rate of Bhandara is 5.56% Bhandara has a mixed economy with agriculture, industries and forest resources. Bhandara is known for its large production of rice. Tumsar, a tehsil town, is a noted rice market. Bhandara town is also known as "Brass City" due to the presence of a large brass products industry. Bhandara has several notable sites, like Ambagad Fort, Brahmi, Chinchgad, and Dighori.
Source: Wikipedia — Bhandara district
Atlas
Rank all districts →Maharashtra
Bhandara
See Bhandara elsewhere
Ask anything about starting up in Bhandara
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.
Compare Bhandara with
Spotted a gap, fact, or opportunity we missed?
Submit it to the moderation queue. We review within 72 hours.
Contribute →