Sitharaman highlighted Raichur’s potential as an Aspirational District, part of the NITI Aayog’s programme to develop districts with untapped potential. She said that Raichur ranked number one among 112 aspirational districts in the June 2023 delta ranking.
“Bengaluru has surged ahead in Karnataka while Raichur has had some development gaps. However, our government doesn’t view such districts as backward districts,” the finance minister said during her address.
The newly established processing unit will have an annual capacity of 133 metric tonne (MT) of red gram, 100 MT of Bengal gram and 76 MT of Chilla mix, enabling farmers to obtain better prices and reduce dependency on middlemen. Sitharaman said similar centres will be set up in seven districts.
The centre is built under the MPLAD Scheme, Sitharaman said Rs 3.5 crore from her MPLADS fund was being spent on the seven units.
The facility will provide modern equipment for pulse processing, grading, packaging, and marketing, while also offering training and capacity-building programmes for farmers, Self-Help Groups (SHGs), and Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs).Sitharaman, who represents Karnataka in Rajya Sabha said the initiative will build a sustainable and market-driven ecosystem for pulse-based enterprises, empowering farmers, strengthening FPOs, and promoting inclusive rural development in the district.“The facility will boost the market value and shelf life of pulses while creating sustainable livelihood opportunities for SHGs and rural entrepreneurs,” the union minister said, emphasizing that it was important that farmers move up the value chain, promote incomes rise, and rural enterprises thrive through innovation and collaboration.
Raichur district is one of the leading pulse-producing regions of Karnataka, cultivating over 80,000 MT of red gram and 34,000 MT of Bengal gram annually, the finance minister noted.