Maldaমালদহ
39.9 lakh people. Larger than Mongolia, Qatar, or Jamaica. Governed as one cell of one state.
- Population
- 39,88,845 (39.9 lakh)
- Area
- 3,733 km²
- Headquarters
- Malda
₹13,404 cr
of bankable business potential identified by the government in Malda.
Source: NABARD PLP 2023-24
Opportunities
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NABARD's plan for Malda · PLP 2023-24
₹13,404 crof bankable credit potential identified by the government
Crop production, maintenance & marketing
₹3,449 cr
MSME
₹2,958 cr
Others (loans to SHGs/JLGs)
₹1,483 cr
Term loans for agriculture & allied activities
₹1,453 cr
Malda's 2023-24 credit plan sizes total priority-sector potential at 13,404 crore, about 10% above the previous year. Farming dominates: agriculture is roughly 6,875 crore, about 51% of the plan, while MSME is about 2,958 crore (22%). Within MSME, investment credit (2,113 crore) far outweighs working capital (845 crore).
The single biggest opportunity is crop loans for paddy, wheat, maize, mustard and potato at 3,449 crore across a gross cropped area of 474,701 ha. Malda is the 'gateway of North Bengal' and famous for mango, litchi and silk: it is a declared Agri Export Zone for mango and litchi, produced about 2.85 lakh tonnes of mango in 2020-21, and exports much of it to Bangladesh. Food and agro processing is the largest value-addition line at 940 crore, supported by 2,516 processing units and a government TIFAC R&D unit at Malda. Other clear clusters are farm mechanisation (370 crore), poultry (310 crore), dairy (255 crore), plantation and horticulture including sericulture (239 crore), and cold storage / warehousing infrastructure (667 crore) for mango and potato.
The plan's own named gaps: tiny 0.81 ha average holdings that block mechanisation, weak irrigation (only about 153,000 of 276,000 irrigable hectares watered), no organised milk cooperatives, and too few commercial dairy, poultry and piggery farms. NABARD urges FPO formation, stronger PACS as multi-service centres, custom-hiring centres and reviving dormant Kisan Credit Cards to unlock this potential.
What the plan promotes
- Malda is the 'gateway of North Bengal', famous for Mango, Litchi orchards and sericulture; mango & litchi output was 2,85,445 and 17,350 metric tonnes in 2020-21 and the district is a declared Agri Export Zone for Mango and Litchi
- Fazli has the largest area under mango plantation, with Langra, Gopalbhog, Laxmanbhog and Himsagar as table varieties and Amrapalli/Mallika promoted for new orchards; a major portion of the mango crop is exported to Bangladesh
- Crop production is by far the biggest credit line at 3448.59 Cr for paddy, wheat, maize, mustard and potato, with jute, mulberry and sugarcane as other crops on a Gross Cropped Area of 474701 ha
- Food & agro processing carries the largest single term/ancillary potential at 939.75 Cr, backed by 2516 food (rice/flour/dal/oil/tea) processing units and a TIFAC R&D unit set up at Malda by GoI to boost fruit development and processing
- Animal husbandry potential led by Poultry 310.34 Cr and Dairy 255.12 Cr, plus Sheep-Goat-Piggery 58.34 Cr; animal husbandry is the main allied economic activity though organised milk cooperatives are largely absent
- Farm mechanisation is the single biggest term-loan sub-line at 370.00 Cr, and plantation & horticulture (incl. sericulture) adds 238.58 Cr on the district's silk and cotton industry base (1317 ginning/spinning/weaving units)
Gaps the plan names
- Average farm size / holding is only 0.81 ha and fragmented land holding is a hindrance to major agriculture activities and farm mechanisation (96% of West Bengal farmers are small and marginal)
- Dependency on monsoon and inadequate irrigation facilities are major concerns; net irrigated area is 152719 ha against 276275 ha of irrigable land
- Absence of well-organised, functional milk cooperatives limits the promotion of small dairy units, and commercial farms on dairy, goatery, piggery and poultry are not coming up
- Farmers are reluctant to leave traditional farming and shift to high-value commodities (fruits, vegetables, flowers, fisheries, animal husbandry, poultry) which is the need of the hour
- PACS need strengthening as Multi Service Centres for business diversification; of 222 PACS only 154 are functional and about 35 act as Customer Service Points
See the plan's recommendations
What the plan promotes
- Malda is the 'gateway of North Bengal', famous for Mango, Litchi orchards and sericulture; mango & litchi output was 2,85,445 and 17,350 metric tonnes in 2020-21 and the district is a declared Agri Export Zone for Mango and Litchi
- Fazli has the largest area under mango plantation, with Langra, Gopalbhog, Laxmanbhog and Himsagar as table varieties and Amrapalli/Mallika promoted for new orchards; a major portion of the mango crop is exported to Bangladesh
- Crop production is by far the biggest credit line at 3448.59 Cr for paddy, wheat, maize, mustard and potato, with jute, mulberry and sugarcane as other crops on a Gross Cropped Area of 474701 ha
- Food & agro processing carries the largest single term/ancillary potential at 939.75 Cr, backed by 2516 food (rice/flour/dal/oil/tea) processing units and a TIFAC R&D unit set up at Malda by GoI to boost fruit development and processing
- Animal husbandry potential led by Poultry 310.34 Cr and Dairy 255.12 Cr, plus Sheep-Goat-Piggery 58.34 Cr; animal husbandry is the main allied economic activity though organised milk cooperatives are largely absent
- Farm mechanisation is the single biggest term-loan sub-line at 370.00 Cr, and plantation & horticulture (incl. sericulture) adds 238.58 Cr on the district's silk and cotton industry base (1317 ginning/spinning/weaving units)
Gaps the plan names
- Average farm size / holding is only 0.81 ha and fragmented land holding is a hindrance to major agriculture activities and farm mechanisation (96% of West Bengal farmers are small and marginal)
- Dependency on monsoon and inadequate irrigation facilities are major concerns; net irrigated area is 152719 ha against 276275 ha of irrigable land
- Absence of well-organised, functional milk cooperatives limits the promotion of small dairy units, and commercial farms on dairy, goatery, piggery and poultry are not coming up
- Farmers are reluctant to leave traditional farming and shift to high-value commodities (fruits, vegetables, flowers, fisheries, animal husbandry, poultry) which is the need of the hour
- PACS need strengthening as Multi Service Centres for business diversification; of 222 PACS only 154 are functional and about 35 act as Customer Service Points
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
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About Malda
Malda district, also spelt Maldah or Maldaha, is a district in West Bengal, India. The capital of the Bengal Sultanate, Gauda and Pandua, was situated in this district. Mango, jute and silk are the most notable products of this district. The special variety of mango, Fazli, produced in this region is popularly known by the name of the district and is exported across the world and is internationally acclaimed. The folk culture of gombhira is a feature of the district, being a unique way of representation of joy and sorrow in daily life of the common people, as well as the unique medium of presentation on national and international matters.
Source: Wikipedia — Malda district
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