Yadgir (Karnataka), Jun 4: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday inaugurated a NABARD-supported groundnut-processing facility entirely run by women in Yadgir district.
The district produces around 22,500 metric tonne of groundnuts annually and has significant potential for value addition, she said.
“We have now established a unit that can roast groundnuts, extract oil, and manufacture products such as peanut butter,” the union minister said.
She lauded the Peddapalli Women Farmers Producer Company Limited for running the facility and pointed out that among the seven similar value-addition units established across the Kalyana Karnataka region, the Yadgir unit was the only one being operated entirely by women.
Sitharaman said she had been informed that women operating the facility were facing difficulties in purchasing groundnuts directly from farmers.
Women are trying to buy from markets and mandis, and NABARD has even appointed a dedicated officer for this purpose. Yet there appears to be some kind of intermediary preventing them from purchasing directly, she said.
Seeking accountability from the local administration, she asked why there should be difficulties in procuring raw materials.
She further said that one unit alone would not be enough to fully utilise Yadgir’s groundnut production and noted that many more such facilities would be required.
She urged local representatives, district officials and the Agriculture Secretary to pay special attention to the initiative and emphasised that development could not be achieved by governments alone.
If Yadgir is to move forward, it is not enough for the Central and state governments alone to work. The people and the local administration must also make greater efforts, she said.
The finance minister also sought greater market access for products manufactured at the facility and requested NABARD to help the producer company expand through e-commerce and quick-commerce platforms.
Drawing a comparison with Andhra Pradesh’s famed mango-producing district, she said Chittoor is renowned for its mangoes. “I hope Yadgir becomes famous for its groundnuts,” Sitharaman pointed out.
She further said successful operation of the NABARD-supported unit could encourage private investment in the district.
Assuring continued support for the district, Sitharaman said significant work remained to be done in areas such as education and healthcare.
Yadgir’s low female literacy, last-place ranking in the state’s Human Development Index, high levels of multidimensional poverty and among the lowest per-capita incomes were matters of concern, she said.
The Rajya Sabha member from Karnataka insisted that Yadgir required urgent, focused intervention by the Centre, the state government and local administration.
Sitharaman said Yadgir, along with neighbouring Raichur, was designated an ‘aspirational district’ because developmental benefits had not reached it at the same pace as other regions and that all levels of government must work together to bridge the gap.
“In Karnataka’s Human Development Index rankings, where does Yadgir stand? It brings tears to my eyes. It is not first, second, third or fourth. It is at the very bottom. Yadgir is ranked last in Karnataka on the Human Development Index. I say this with deep sadness,” she said.
The union minister said there was no fault of the people of Yadgir and the district’s present condition was the result of development not reaching the region adequately over the years.
Sitharaman noted that while girls across the country were becoming engineers, civil servants and senior corporate executives, Yadgir lagged significantly behind.
In Yadgir, only 41 out of every 100 women are literate, attending school or college, she pointed out.
Referring to infrastructure, she said there are schools but no teachers, no toilets and inadequate classrooms.
The finance minister also highlighted poverty indicators in the district, saying that despite the country’s success in lifting millions out of poverty, Yadgir continued to remain among the worst affected regions.
After Prime Minister Modi assumed office, poverty was measured across multiple dimensions, district by district. Through targeted interventions, around 250 million people have been lifted out of multidimensional poverty across the country. “Yet, despite all these efforts, Yadgir remains one of the districts with the highest levels of poverty,” Sitharaman said.
Drawing a contrast with Bengaluru, she said the state capital enjoyed the highest per-capita income in Karnataka while Yadgir ranked among the lowest.
Sitharaman said Yadgir’s economy remained overwhelmingly dependent on agriculture, with nearly 75 per cent of the district’s land under cultivation.
The union minister also inaugurated the Farmers’ Training and Common Facility Centre at Badepalli village in Yadgir.
“Funded under the MPLAD Scheme by the Finance Minister in collaboration with NABARD, the Farmers’ Training and Common Facility Centre (CFC) in Yadgir serves as a hub for processing Groundnuts into multiple high-demand value-added products,” the minister’s office said in a post on ‘X’.
“The anchor FPC, Badepalli Women Farmers Producer Company Ltd., will manage the unit, integrating processing, training, and marketing under one roof. Farmers’ Training & Common Facility Centre in Yadgir will help in modernising post-harvest infrastructure, implement quality control, and improve direct farm-to-market linkage. This Centre will empower farmers, reduce post-harvest losses, and create branded products for domestic and global markets,” the post added. (PTI)
