The economy of Junagadh districts in Gujarat is dependent on agriculture, tourism and manufacturing sectors. Many small rivers like Uben, Hadhvwouti, Hiran, sambli, Saraswati, Menghal, Machundri, Raval Ambajal, ozhat etc flow through the district making it more helpful for agriculture. The district has 14 talukas and major ones of them are Junagadh, VEraval, Mangrol and Manavadar. Major focus sectors which contribute to the economy of Junagadh are Agriculture, Mineral and cement based industries, Fish processing and Power sectors.
About 70% of the district’s population is involved in primary sector or agriculture, 22% are in the secondary sector and the remaining 8% are in the tertiary sector.
About 70% of the district’s population is involved in primary sector or agriculture, 22% are in the secondary sector and the remaining 8% are in the tertiary sector.
Economy of Junagadh: Agricultural Sector
Agriculture plays an important role in the economy of Junagadh. Major crops suitable for this region are oil seeds, wheat, cotton, onions, mangoes and other fruits. The delicious and famous Keasr mangoes grown in this region has recently got the Geographical Indication (GI) tag in 2011. Junagadh is the top producer of oil seeds in Gujarat state and has produced a record high of 4, 64,400 MT in 2007-07. Junagadh contributes 26% of groundnut production and 34% of garlic to the total state production. Junagadh is also major contributor of cereals with 4th place in the state which producing 5, 69,800 MT. Junagadh is also identified as the agriculture biotechnology zone attracting investments from agro-biotech industries.Exports: Being very near to sea and having a good infrastructure, Junagadh has well utilized it to take advantage of fish and sea foods processing industry. Processed fishes are exported to countries like Singapore, Hongkong, China, Japan, and Dubai.
Economy of Junagadh: Industrial Sector
Junagadh has 40 medium and large scale enterprises as of 2006-07 aand some of the famous names include Hindustan Lever, Ambuja Cements, Austin Engineering, Gujarat Dairy Development Corporation etc. Also there are 7000 small scale industries mostly located in Junagadh, Kodinar, Veraval, Keshod, Manavadar.Investments: During the period of 1998-2007, Junagadh attracted nearly 3,484 crores (USD 849.75 Million) investments mainly in chemicals, cement and gypsum products and in infrastructure sectors. Sugar industry also emerged as a new sector in the region during the same period.
Key Economy Drivers of Junagadh
Agriculture being the main strength of Junagadh and with the implementation of the agriculture biotechnology zone, Agriculture will surely play a key role in the economy of Junagadh. Veraval port is being developed and with increase in commercial activities exports can be a key economic factor in the near future. Cement always has played a key role in the economy of Junagadh due to its lime stone reserves. Apart from these other major sector contributing to the economy of Junagadh is Tourism sector. With increasing number of tourists every year, the state government has sanctioned a project to develop ‘Circuit Tourism Project’ in Junagadh. With increased industries and tourism, employment has also increased in the region thereby contributing to the GDP. The state government has been taking active steps to train youth to make them more skilled for the jobs.
With more number of industries and Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in the pipeline, Junagadh will surely play a key role in the economy of Gujarat in the near future. With government subsidies and favorable investments, private sector companies are also interested in investing and setting up their operation in Junagadh.