Nilam

Washimवाशिम

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

Population
11,97,160 (12.0 lakh)
Area
5,150 km²
Headquarters
Washim
ODOP: Soya bean and soya bean productsODOP: Cotton related products & Textiles
SoybeanCotton & textilesTur dalOranges

₹2,586 cr

of bankable business potential identified by the government in Washim.

Source: NABARD PLP 2023-24

Opportunities

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Washim branded tur dal mill and packing unit

Unverified

A dal mill turning Washim's tur (pigeon pea) harvest into cleaned, milled and branded packaged dal, supplying regional retail, modern trade and institutional buyers who want traceable, consistent-grade pulses.

Capex
₹10–22 lakh
Payback
2.5 years payback
Risk
Moderate
NABARD-AIFDCH

NABARD's plan for Washim · PLP 2023-24

₹2,586 crof bankable credit potential identified by the government

Crop production, maintenance & marketing

₹1,901 cr

MSME

₹232 cr

Term loans for agriculture & allied activities

₹153 cr

Housing

₹136 cr

Washim's NABARD credit plan for 2023-24 sees about Rs 2,586 crore of lending potential. The vast bulk of it, Rs 2,117 crore (around 82%), is for farming and allied work, while small and medium businesses (MSME) account for Rs 232 crore (about 9%) and the rest covers housing, education, renewable energy and other needs.

Farming is the backbone here. Crop loans alone are worth Rs 1,901 crore, driven by soyabean (over 3 lakh hectares last year), cotton, gram and wheat. Beyond seasonal crop loans, the plan flags steady opportunities in livestock and water: dairy (Rs 38 crore), sheep, goat and piggery (Rs 24 crore) and water/irrigation works (Rs 58 crore). The district also suits fruit crops like pomegranate, papaya and orange.

Though Washim is industrially behind, agro-processing is its clearest off-farm bet. Soya oil is already the main local product, helped by 3 MIDC industrial areas, and there are existing dal, oil and fruit-juice units. NABARD is backing a Rural Mart at Karanja for SHG products and several Farmer Producer Organisations across Risod, Malegaon and Washim blocks. Export potential is highlighted for soyabean, turmeric and organic vegetables.

The plan is candid about what holds the district back: too little post-harvest storage (godowns, cold stores, grading units), patchy daytime power for irrigation, repeated drought, over-reliance on a single crop, and low water-use efficiency on irrigated land.

See the plan's recommendations

What the plan promotes

  • Soyabean is the major crop sown every year (306256 ha covered in 2022-23); Cotton, Gram and Wheat are the other major crops, with crop-loan potential of Rs 1900.60 cr
  • Climate suits horticulture and plantation crops such as Pomegranate, Papaya and Orange
  • Strong dairy, poultry and fisheries potential; dairy backed by private and Government dairy market support; rivers Pengana and Adan support fisheries (AH-Dairy term-loan potential Rs 38.41 cr)
  • Sheep/goat/piggery is a large term-loan opportunity at Rs 23.81 cr, with goat population of about 1.27 lakh
  • District is industrially backward but has abundant agro-processing potential; Soya oil is the major industrial production, supported by 3 MIDCs
  • 27 food (rice/flour/dal/oil/tea/coffee) processing units with 1350 MT capacity and 11 fruit pulp/juice units already operating

Gaps the plan names

  • Lack of post-harvest infrastructure (godowns, cold storages, sorting and grading units) leads to lower price realization for farmers; need to establish these for value addition
  • Inadequate power supply, especially daytime power for irrigation, has affected the rural economy
  • Drought-like situation over the past 3-4 years has adversely affected the rural economy and various sectors
  • Low water-use efficiency on the 31417 ha net irrigated area (only 8.07% of net sown area); need for micro-irrigation and shift to high-value crops in command areas
  • Heavy dependence on a single crop (Soyabean); need for crop diversification and balanced cultivation of agricultural and horticultural species

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.

Soybean: raw bean → oil, defatted meal & soy foods

Unverified
Raw 85%Processed 15%

Washim's soybean belt sells most of its crop as raw beans to outside crushers who capture the oil-and-meal margin. Local solvent extraction yields edible oil plus defatted meal, and further processing into soy flour, tofu and protein commands several times the raw-bean price. An in-district crushing-and-processing line keeps that value chain at home.

Growth signal

Demand for soy protein and soy-based foods is growing with plant-protein and feed markets.

Tur dal: raw pigeon pea → milled / branded packaged dal

Unverified
Raw 80%Processed 20%

The district's tur (pigeon pea) is largely sold as raw grain to outside mills, handing the dal-milling margin elsewhere. Cleaned, milled, graded and branded packaged tur dal commands a clear premium over raw grain and reaches retail buyers directly. A local dal mill plus packing line captures that margin within Washim.

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 Washim

Washim district is a district in Maharashtra, India. The headquarters is at Washim. The area of the district is 5,150 km2 (1,990 sq mi).

Source: Wikipedia — Washim district

Maharashtra

Washim

See Washim elsewhere

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