Burdwan (Bardhaman)বর্ধমান
77.2 lakh people. Larger than Singapore, Denmark, or Finland. Governed as one cell of one state.
- Population
- 77,17,563 (77.2 lakh)
- Area
- 7,024 km²
- Headquarters
- Bardhaman
₹16,617 cr
of bankable business potential identified by the government in Burdwan (Bardhaman).
Source: NABARD PLP 2023-24
Opportunities
What you can build here
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NABARD's plan for Burdwan (Bardhaman) · PLP 2023-24
₹16,617 crof bankable credit potential identified by the government
Crop production, maintenance & marketing
₹6,328 cr
MSME
₹5,653 cr
Term loans for agriculture & allied activities
₹2,403 cr
Others
₹1,409 cr
Purba Bardhaman (Burdwan/Bardhaman), the rice bowl of West Bengal, has a total priority-sector credit potential of about ₹16,617 crore for 2023-24. Farming dominates: agriculture accounts for roughly ₹9,113 crore (about 55%) of the plan, while MSME adds another ₹5,653 crore (about 34%).
The biggest single opportunity is crop-production credit at ₹6,328 crore - most farmers here grow three crops a year, mainly paddy, with pulses, mustard, groundnut, potato, jute, onion, mango, banana and vegetables. On the term-loan side, the standout activities are farm mechanization (₹756 cr), poultry (₹691 cr), dairy (₹385 cr) and fisheries (₹344 cr). Cold storage, warehouses and other storage/marketing infrastructure add ₹319 crore, helped by nearness to Kolkata, Hooghly and Nadia markets and the urban markets at Burdwan, Kalna and Katwa.
Beyond farming, the district's rice mills and craft clusters - Kantha Stitch embroidery, Dokra, handloom, zari zardousi and wooden furniture - drive the large MSME potential, split ₹4,782 crore term/investment loans and ₹871 crore working capital.
The plan's own warnings for anyone setting up here: falling groundwater levels, shortage of quality certified seeds, weak marketing, procurement and processing infrastructure, a low 51.28% credit-deposit ratio, and poor uptake of livestock and fisheries loans. It calls for more FPOs, seed villages and water-harvesting to unlock the potential.
What the plan promotes
- Paddy is the principal crop (rice bowl / granary of West Bengal); most farmers grow 3 crops a year across 5432.69 sq km and 23 blocks. Crop-production credit potential is ₹6328.28 cr.
- Major food crops: paddy, pulses, groundnut and mustard; onion (Kharif & Rabi), mango, banana and most vegetables are the leading horticulture crops; potato and jute are the main cash crops.
- Farm mechanization is the single largest agri term-loan opportunity at ₹756.09 cr.
- Poultry (₹690.76 cr) and dairy (₹384.61 cr) are the leading livestock lines; the PLP flags leveraging the large number of dairy units promoted under DEDS in earlier years.
- Fisheries potential is ₹344.27 cr, tied to the district's significant water bodies.
- MSME potential of ₹5653.37 cr is anchored by numerous rice mills plus traditional craft clusters - Kantha Stitch hand embroidery, Dokra metal craft, handloom, zari zardousi and wooden furniture.
Gaps the plan names
- Depleting ground water level is a major concern; a coordinated approach is needed for water-harvesting structures, changed cropping patterns and awareness, plus suitable ground-water recharge infrastructure.
- Availability of quality certified seeds is a matter of concern, to be addressed by promoting seed villages.
- Poor marketing infrastructure, low level of organized procurement, and a lack of value chain and processing infrastructure across the district.
- Low credit-deposit ratio - only 51.28% as on March 2022 - needs branch-wise bankable schemes, better credit appraisal, regular recovery drives and nurturing of FPOs/SHGs for organized marketing.
- Financing of KCC under animal husbandry and fisheries is not satisfactory; needs awareness, department-bank coordination and stringent review at DCC/BLBC meetings.
See the plan's recommendations
What the plan promotes
- Paddy is the principal crop (rice bowl / granary of West Bengal); most farmers grow 3 crops a year across 5432.69 sq km and 23 blocks. Crop-production credit potential is ₹6328.28 cr.
- Major food crops: paddy, pulses, groundnut and mustard; onion (Kharif & Rabi), mango, banana and most vegetables are the leading horticulture crops; potato and jute are the main cash crops.
- Farm mechanization is the single largest agri term-loan opportunity at ₹756.09 cr.
- Poultry (₹690.76 cr) and dairy (₹384.61 cr) are the leading livestock lines; the PLP flags leveraging the large number of dairy units promoted under DEDS in earlier years.
- Fisheries potential is ₹344.27 cr, tied to the district's significant water bodies.
- MSME potential of ₹5653.37 cr is anchored by numerous rice mills plus traditional craft clusters - Kantha Stitch hand embroidery, Dokra metal craft, handloom, zari zardousi and wooden furniture.
Gaps the plan names
- Depleting ground water level is a major concern; a coordinated approach is needed for water-harvesting structures, changed cropping patterns and awareness, plus suitable ground-water recharge infrastructure.
- Availability of quality certified seeds is a matter of concern, to be addressed by promoting seed villages.
- Poor marketing infrastructure, low level of organized procurement, and a lack of value chain and processing infrastructure across the district.
- Low credit-deposit ratio - only 51.28% as on March 2022 - needs branch-wise bankable schemes, better credit appraisal, regular recovery drives and nurturing of FPOs/SHGs for organized marketing.
- Financing of KCC under animal husbandry and fisheries is not satisfactory; needs awareness, department-bank coordination and stringent review at DCC/BLBC meetings.
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 Burdwan (Bardhaman)
Bardhaman, or sometimes Burdwan and Barddhaman, was a former district in the Indian state of West Bengal, headquartered in Bardhaman. On 7 April 2017, the district was bifurcated into two separate districts namely Purba Bardhaman and Paschim Bardhaman. It was the seventh most populous district in India at the time of bifurcation.
Source: Wikipedia — Bardhaman district
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