Banaskantha, Gujarat

Banaskantha district is one among the thirty-three districts in the state of Gujarat. The administrative headquarters of the district is at Palanpur which is also its largest city. The district is in the Northeast of Gujarat and is presumably named after the West Banas River which runs through the valley between Mount Abu and Aravalli Range, flowing to the plains of Gujarat in this region and towards the Rann of Kutch. Banaskantha shares its borders with Rajasthan state in the North, Sabarkantha district in East, Kutch district in West and Patan district and Mehsana district in the South.

The district is primarily known for the Ambaji Temple and Balrama Temple, both of which attract a lot of tourists every year. Apart from the tourism industry, textile and mineral based industries drive a major part of the economy here. Even the agro and the food processing industries hold an important position here.

Banaskantha is the largest producer of vegetables in Gujarat, with potato being the main crop. Some other crops which are grown in the region include tobacco, castor oil, bajri and psyllium. Banaskantha district is the third largest producer of oil seeds in the State after Junagadh and Jamnagar. Bajra, Maize, Tobacco, Castor oil, Jowar, Psyllium and Potatoes are the other major crops of the district. Deesa Taluka in the Banaskantha district ranks first in India for the production of Potatoes. The district ranks next to Junagadh and Rajkot in the production of spices. The other spices produced in the district are Isabgul, Fennel, Fenugreek and Cumin and important vegetables produced in the district are Cow Pea, Beans, Tomato, Brinjal and Cabbage.

Banaskantha district has rich mineral reserves including limestone, marble, granite, building stone and china clay. Banaskantha district accounts for almost the entire marble reserves of the State of Gujarat. Danta Taluka of Banaskantha district is known for its high-quality marble production. Major Medium and Large-Scale Industries (MSI & LSI) industries in Banaskantha district are engaged in the production of granite tiles and marble blocks. The district has seven SSI clusters focused on textile (spinning and weaving of cotton textiles and khadi), diamond processing, and ceramics industry (processed Stone, marble). Out of these industrial clusters, three of the SSI clusters are located in the Palanpur taluka, two are located in Vadgam and one each is located in Danta and Deesa talukas.