The Gazetteers Department

Bhandara district with a fertile and extensive agricultural tract produces a large number of agricultural commodities to meet the local needs of the people. The district is mainly an exporter of rice, wheat, manganese and forest produce. The old Bhandara District Gazetteer gives the following account of export trade existing then.

"The expansion of the export trade in the last two years is remarkable, even allowing for the fact that 1903 was a year of scarcity. Rice is the staple export and is sent from Gondia, Tum-sar and Tirora stations to Nagpur, Berar, Khandesh and Bombay. The pulse urad probably comes second in importance among exports of grain, and wheat and gram are also sent out, the wheat grown in the Pauni Chauras being generally taken to Nagpur by road. Teak, biula (Pterocarpus Marsuphim), and bamboos are sent from the Sakoli tahsil to Nagpur by road. From the eastern zamindaris considerable quantities of timber are put on to the railway at Salekasa and Darekasa stations. Mahua flowers are now an important articles of trade, the exports amounting to more than Rs. 4 lakhs in 1905. A trade has also arisen in mahua nuts, which are locally known as todi. The oil from these nuts was formerly expressed locally and used as a substitute for or in adulteration of ghi; but a good price is now obtained for export. The trade in lac is growing rapidly, the exports having increased from 8,000 maunds valued at Rs. 2.18 lakhs in 1903 to 14,000 valued at Rs. 5.32 lakhs in 1905. The exports of manganese increased from 18,361 to 23,539 tons during this period. Among minor articles singhara or water nuts (Trapa bispinosa) and mangoes are sent to Nagpur and Kamptee and also ginger, oranges and plantains in small quantities. The leaf cigarettes made at Tirora go to all the surrounding districts. Cartwheels from Tumsar are sent to Nagpur and Berar. Silk-bordered cloths are sent to Berar and the Bombay Presidency. A regular trade has grown up in fish, eggs and fowls which are despatched daily to the Nagpur market, and this has had the effect of considerably increasing the cost of living in Bhandara. "

With the passage of time and the implementation of Five Year Plans agricultural production has doubled during the last decade or so. This is because of intensive cultivation, introduction of new methods of production, the Grow More Food campaign and emphasis on bringing about ' Green Revolution' in agriculture. Similarly, the crop pattern in the district is far superior to the average for the State. The district average yield for most of the crops is higher than the State average. Crops like linseed and lac are grown after rice. Thus the district having become a major producer of agricultural commodities commands wider markets outside the district for its products.

Rice of the district is obviously the most important crop for export, which covers slightly more than half of the gross cropped area. In fact Bhandara is a major rice producing district in Maharashtra State. Goramatia, Sungadhi, Luchai, Chinoor and Benisar are some of the important varieties of rice exported from the district.

The chief exports of the district besides rice, are timber, bamboos, brassware, glassware, cotton textiles, clay, manganese, lac, bidis, etc. Brassware of Bhandara is famous and various kinds of brass utensils are exported to Madhya Pradesh, Khandesh, all the districts in Vidarbha region and as far as Tatanagar. Bamboos are exported from Sakoli tahsil and manganese from the northern part of the district. Fish, eggs and fowls are also sent to Nagpur.

Bhandara district abounds in rich forest produce which is exported to other parts of the country. The produce is transported in bullock-carts to several forest depots. From these depots it is carried by bullock-carts and trucks to Nagpur, Bhandara and Gondia. A large part of the produce is also transported to Raipur in Madhya Pradesh and the coastal areas of Gujarat by trucks and rail. Bamboos are transported by rail to Ballarpur in Chandrapur district.

The forest; produce includes tendu leaves, required for bidi making which are available in abundance. These are supplied to a number of large and small-scale factories manufacturing bidis at Bhandara, Gondia, Tirora, Badegaon, Arjuni, Sihara, Warathi and Tumsar. Bidis prepared by these industries are sent to Raipur and Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh and to many districts in Maharashtra.

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