Barmerबाड़मेर
26.0 lakh people. Larger than Bahrain, Estonia, or Mauritius. Governed as one cell of one state.
- Population
- 26,03,751 (26.0 lakh)
- Area
- 28,387 km²
- Headquarters
- Barmer
₹6,632 cr
of bankable business potential identified by the government in Barmer.
Source: NABARD PLP 2023-24
Opportunities
What you can build here
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NABARD's plan for Barmer · PLP 2023-24
₹6,632 crof bankable credit potential identified by the government
Crop production, maintenance & marketing (short-term)
₹3,910 cr
MSME (micro, small & medium enterprises)
₹1,251 cr
Term loans for agriculture & allied activities
₹616 cr
Agriculture infrastructure
₹285 cr
NABARD's 2023-24 credit plan pegs Barmer's total priority-sector potential at Rs.6631.86 crore. Farming dominates: agriculture accounts for Rs.5013.50 crore (about 76%) and MSME for Rs.1250.63 crore (about 19%), with housing, education, renewable energy and social infrastructure making up the rest.
The single biggest slice is short-term crop credit at Rs.3910.39 crore, covering kharif crops (bajra, guar, moth, castor, groundnut) and rabi crops (cumin, isabgol, mustard, wheat). Within farm term loans (Rs.615.72 crore), the largest pieces are minor irrigation/water resources (Rs.194.14 crore), farm vehicles and equipment (Rs.148.03 crore) and farm mechanisation (Rs.109.81 crore).
The standout opportunities are cumin (jeera) - Barmer grows the most cumin in Rajasthan, about 2.08 lakh hectares worth roughly Rs.1100 crore - plus pomegranate on 7500 hectares and dates on 152 hectares, and bajra on around 9.40 lakh hectares. On the non-farm side, Barmer is a recognised handicraft hub (block printing, applique, carpets, wool and wood work), anchored by NABARD's Thar Artisan Producer Company.
The plan's own biggest gap: there is no cumin mandi in the district, so growers must sell in Gujarat - it calls for building a local mandi and cumin-processing units. It also flags weak, nutrient-poor soils, scarce water (just 277.50 mm rainfall) and missing processing and marketing links for pomegranate and dates.
What the plan promotes
- Cumin (jeera) is the district's biggest thrust area - Barmer produces the most cumin in Rajasthan, ~2.08 lakh hectares yielding about Rs.1100 crore of cumin, giving huge scope for cumin processing units.
- Pomegranate (anar) on 7500 hectares - Barmer ranks first in the state for pomegranate - plus dates (khajur) on 152 hectares; both are strong candidates for processing and marketing.
- Bajra (pearl millet) is grown on roughly 9.40 lakh hectares; bajra processing into biscuits and other products was trained under the micro-enterprise development programme (2023 was the International Year of Millets).
- Handicraft cluster: NABARD set up Thar Artisan Producer Company (an off-farm producer company) to develop Barmer as a handicraft hub and improve skills and market access for artisans.
- Traditional crafts with international recognition - hand printing/block printing, patchwork, applique handicraft, aari-taar, jute weaving, carpet industry, glass/mirror embroidery, wool weaving, dari weaving and wood carving - concentrated in Barmer, Chohtan, Dhorimanna, Gudhamalani and Shiv blocks.
- Livestock is a mainstay - 9.05 lakh cattle (Tharparkar, Kankrej breeds), 2.22 lakh buffalo, 10.13 lakh sheep (Marwari) and 29.46 lakh goats (Marwari); sheep and goat rearing is called the farmer's ATM for quick cash.
Gaps the plan names
- No developed cumin (jeera) mandi in the district - despite being the state's largest cumin producer, farmers have to travel to Gujarat to sell their crop, so a local cumin mandi is needed.
- Cumin-linked processing industry is missing - the PLP calls for promoting processing units to capture value from the Rs.1100 crore cumin crop within the district.
- Processing and marketing gaps for pomegranate (7500 ha) and dates (152 ha) - these thrust-area horticulture crops need processing and marketing support to realise their potential.
- Soil health is a concern - of the 13 key nutrients, Barmer soils have only nine and even these are below norms, which is reducing productivity; CRIDA's atlas ranks the district first in the country for vulnerability.
- Water stress and low rainfall - average rainfall is only 277.50 mm, groundwater is over-exploited, and most farmers face uncertain agricultural years due to recurring drought and negative water balance.
See the plan's recommendations
What the plan promotes
- Cumin (jeera) is the district's biggest thrust area - Barmer produces the most cumin in Rajasthan, ~2.08 lakh hectares yielding about Rs.1100 crore of cumin, giving huge scope for cumin processing units.
- Pomegranate (anar) on 7500 hectares - Barmer ranks first in the state for pomegranate - plus dates (khajur) on 152 hectares; both are strong candidates for processing and marketing.
- Bajra (pearl millet) is grown on roughly 9.40 lakh hectares; bajra processing into biscuits and other products was trained under the micro-enterprise development programme (2023 was the International Year of Millets).
- Handicraft cluster: NABARD set up Thar Artisan Producer Company (an off-farm producer company) to develop Barmer as a handicraft hub and improve skills and market access for artisans.
- Traditional crafts with international recognition - hand printing/block printing, patchwork, applique handicraft, aari-taar, jute weaving, carpet industry, glass/mirror embroidery, wool weaving, dari weaving and wood carving - concentrated in Barmer, Chohtan, Dhorimanna, Gudhamalani and Shiv blocks.
- Livestock is a mainstay - 9.05 lakh cattle (Tharparkar, Kankrej breeds), 2.22 lakh buffalo, 10.13 lakh sheep (Marwari) and 29.46 lakh goats (Marwari); sheep and goat rearing is called the farmer's ATM for quick cash.
Gaps the plan names
- No developed cumin (jeera) mandi in the district - despite being the state's largest cumin producer, farmers have to travel to Gujarat to sell their crop, so a local cumin mandi is needed.
- Cumin-linked processing industry is missing - the PLP calls for promoting processing units to capture value from the Rs.1100 crore cumin crop within the district.
- Processing and marketing gaps for pomegranate (7500 ha) and dates (152 ha) - these thrust-area horticulture crops need processing and marketing support to realise their potential.
- Soil health is a concern - of the 13 key nutrients, Barmer soils have only nine and even these are below norms, which is reducing productivity; CRIDA's atlas ranks the district first in the country for vulnerability.
- Water stress and low rainfall - average rainfall is only 277.50 mm, groundwater is over-exploited, and most farmers face uncertain agricultural years due to recurring drought and negative water balance.
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 Barmer
Barmer district is a district in Rajasthan state of India. Barmer is located in the western part of Rajasthan state forming a part of the Thar Desert. Barmer was the third largest district by area in Rajasthan and fifth largest district in India, occupying an area of 28,387 km2 before creation of new districts. Being in the western part of the state, it includes a part of the Thar Desert. Jaisalmer is to the north of this district while Jalore is in its south. Balotra form its eastern border and it shares a border with Pakistan in the west. Partially being a desert, this district has a large variation in temperature. The temperature in summer can rise up to 51 °C and falls near to 0 °C in winter. Luni is the longest river in Barmer district. After travelling a length of almost 500 km, it passes through Jalore and merges in the marshy land of Runn of Kutch. District headquarters is in the town of Barmer. The other major towns in the district are: Guda Malani, Dhorimana, Sheo and Chohatan. Recently, a large onshore oil field has been discovered and made functional in Barmer district. Barmer is also famous for pomegranate.
Source: Wikipedia — Barmer district
Atlas
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