South 24 Parganasদক্ষিণ চব্বিশ পরগনা
81.6 lakh people. Larger than Singapore, Denmark, or Finland. Governed as one cell of one state.
- Population
- 81,61,961 (81.6 lakh)
- Area
- 9,960 km²
- Headquarters
- Alipore
₹16,762 cr
of bankable business potential identified by the government in South 24 Parganas.
Source: NABARD PLP 2023-24
Opportunities
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NABARD's plan for South 24 Parganas · PLP 2023-24
₹16,762 crof bankable credit potential identified by the government
Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME)
₹8,874 cr
Crop production, maintenance & marketing
₹3,493 cr
Term loans for agriculture & allied activities
₹1,542 cr
Informal credit delivery system
₹1,341 cr
South 24 Parganas has a total priority-sector lending potential of about Rs 16,762 crore for 2023-24, up 14.33% on the prior year. The split is dominated by MSME at roughly Rs 8,874 crore (about 53% of the plan) while agriculture and allied activities total about Rs 5,393 crore (roughly 32%). Within agriculture, crop production is the biggest line at Rs 3,493 crore, backed by term loans of Rs 1,542 crore.
Three concrete clusters stand out. Fishery is huge here (Rs 242 crore) since the district produces about 17% of West Bengal's fish, traded mainly at Canning, Kakdwip and Diamond Harbour. Livestock offers ready openings: poultry (Rs 401 crore) and dairy (Rs 273 crore) are the largest term-loan lines, with Garole sheep and Black Bengal goat rearing pushed for women-led households. Horticulture (Rs 367 crore) spans mango, banana, pineapple, litchi, vegetables, flowers and spices. On the non-farm side there are 12 industry clusters, notably the Baruipur surgical cluster, silver filigree at Magrahat and zari at Budge-Budge II.
The plan's own named gaps are clear: land is badly fragmented (average holding 0.60 ha, 99%+ small farmers), the coastal-riverine land suffers flooding and salt-water ingress, and cold storage, godowns and grading facilities are scarce, causing heavy post-harvest losses. NABARD urges custom-hiring centres, salt-tolerant crops and farm-gate infrastructure under AIF and FIDF.
What the plan promotes
- Kharif paddy is the mainstay crop, grown on about 4.15 lakh ha; South 24 Parganas is one of eight NFSM Rice Districts, with main varieties Miniket, Baskati and Dhudeswar and paddy production incl Boro 292565 MT and Aman (local) 124694 MT.
- Fisheries is a flagship activity worth 241.63 cr in credit potential; the district accounts for around 17% of West Bengal's fish production, with Canning, Kakdwip and Diamond Harbour as major fish trading centres.
- Poultry (layers & broilers) carries the biggest term-loan sub-line at 400.96 cr, and dairy at 273.36 cr, both flagged as key income-growth avenues for rural households.
- Horticulture is a major opportunity (366.58 cr): commercial mango, banana, pineapple, papaya, guava, sapota, litchi, citrus, vegetables, flowers (rose, tuberose, marigold), tuber crops and spices, under the National Horticulture Mission.
- MSME is the largest sector (8873.99 cr) anchored by 12 identified clusters, notably the Baruipur surgical cluster, silver filigree at Magrahat, zari embroidery at Budge-Budge II, and fireworks at Champahati and Nungi.
- NABARD supported 3 SHG-promotion projects (Diamond Harbour-I, Diamond Harbour-II, Kakdwip, Sonarpur, Gosaba), promoted 382 Farmers Clubs and 6 FPOs with 5 more FPOs to be added under the Central Sector Scheme.
Gaps the plan names
- Fragmented, sub-optimal landholding (99%+ small & marginal farmers, average 0.60 ha) keeps economy of scale low; capital formation in agriculture is very low, so banks need intensive focus on term-loan financing.
- Being a riverine and coastal district, frequent flooding and saline-water ingress on farm land is a major concern; use of salt-tolerant paddy and other crop varieties is suggested.
- Post-harvest facilities such as sorting, grading, packaging and cold storage are not available in large parts of the district (only 5 rural godowns and 2 cold storages), driving significant post-harvest losses.
- Farm-gate infrastructure for storage, processing and marketing of horticulture produce needs to be developed, promoted at scale under the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF) and Fisheries Infrastructure Development Fund (FIDF).
- Farm mechanisation is held back by small landholdings; custom hiring centres run by PACS/farmer collectives are needed, alongside pump-set energisation and solar energy promotion.
See the plan's recommendations
What the plan promotes
- Kharif paddy is the mainstay crop, grown on about 4.15 lakh ha; South 24 Parganas is one of eight NFSM Rice Districts, with main varieties Miniket, Baskati and Dhudeswar and paddy production incl Boro 292565 MT and Aman (local) 124694 MT.
- Fisheries is a flagship activity worth 241.63 cr in credit potential; the district accounts for around 17% of West Bengal's fish production, with Canning, Kakdwip and Diamond Harbour as major fish trading centres.
- Poultry (layers & broilers) carries the biggest term-loan sub-line at 400.96 cr, and dairy at 273.36 cr, both flagged as key income-growth avenues for rural households.
- Horticulture is a major opportunity (366.58 cr): commercial mango, banana, pineapple, papaya, guava, sapota, litchi, citrus, vegetables, flowers (rose, tuberose, marigold), tuber crops and spices, under the National Horticulture Mission.
- MSME is the largest sector (8873.99 cr) anchored by 12 identified clusters, notably the Baruipur surgical cluster, silver filigree at Magrahat, zari embroidery at Budge-Budge II, and fireworks at Champahati and Nungi.
- NABARD supported 3 SHG-promotion projects (Diamond Harbour-I, Diamond Harbour-II, Kakdwip, Sonarpur, Gosaba), promoted 382 Farmers Clubs and 6 FPOs with 5 more FPOs to be added under the Central Sector Scheme.
Gaps the plan names
- Fragmented, sub-optimal landholding (99%+ small & marginal farmers, average 0.60 ha) keeps economy of scale low; capital formation in agriculture is very low, so banks need intensive focus on term-loan financing.
- Being a riverine and coastal district, frequent flooding and saline-water ingress on farm land is a major concern; use of salt-tolerant paddy and other crop varieties is suggested.
- Post-harvest facilities such as sorting, grading, packaging and cold storage are not available in large parts of the district (only 5 rural godowns and 2 cold storages), driving significant post-harvest losses.
- Farm-gate infrastructure for storage, processing and marketing of horticulture produce needs to be developed, promoted at scale under the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF) and Fisheries Infrastructure Development Fund (FIDF).
- Farm mechanisation is held back by small landholdings; custom hiring centres run by PACS/farmer collectives are needed, alongside pump-set energisation and solar energy promotion.
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 South 24 Parganas
South 24 Parganas (abbr. 24 PGS (S)), or sometimes South Twenty Four Parganas and Dakshin 24 Parganas, is a district in the Indian state of West Bengal, headquartered in Alipore, with its Zilla Parishad in Baruipur. It is the largest district of West Bengal by area and second largest by population. It is the sixth most populous district in India (out of 640). On one side of the district there is the urban fringe of Kolkata, and on the other the remote riverine villages in the Sundarbans.
Source: Wikipedia — South 24 Parganas
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