Shahjahanpur’s Katri Region Emerges As Center of Groundnut Business

Allahganj, a small town nearby, has emerged as a groundnut business hub, with over 100 factories. Local traders supply groundnut to various parts of the country. According to a resident, people used to avoid leaving their homes after dark. Dacoits used to rampage in the Katri area for nearly four decades.

Hari Prakash Verma, MLA from Jalalabad, said it is a source of pride that the Katari area is now known for its groundnut industry. The government is working hard to ensure that local entrepreneurs have the best possible opportunities. According to Chief Development Officer Shyam Bahadur Singh, groundnut processing is taking place in Allahganj.

Raw groundnut is brought from nearby districts such as Hardoi, Mainpuri, Agra, and Farrukhabad for processing because a number of local traders have established small units that employ thousands of people in and around Allahganj. Groundnut produced and processed in Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Maharashtra is in high demand.

Singh stated that the administration is attempting to establish a large processing unit in Allahganj in order to increase profits for groundnut traders in the area. The groundnut industry provides a significant source of income for local traders, as well as labourers and workers.

According to businessman Rajendra Kumar Gupta, the groundnut industry has helped to alleviate the acute problem of unemployment in the area. Due to a lack of work, both male and female workers generally stayed at home during the rainy season. Because of the groundnut industry, they now have plenty of work even during the rainy season, and each worker earns Rs 400 to Rs 500 per day. According to Pawan Gupta, President of Allahganj Vyapar Mandal, Allahganj currently generates approximately Rs 600 crore in annual revenue.

"The groundnut business in town began on a very small scale in 2008. Traders would bring groundnuts from Rajasthan or Jhansi and roast them in a furnace before selling them in Lucknow and Prayagraj. "At the moment, Allahganj has about 100 groundnut processing factories," he said.

Tribhuvan, Additional District Magistrate (Finance and Revenue), stated that he will soon meet with groundnut traders in Allahganj to listen to their problems and take their suggestions on how to move forward with this business and develop a strategy so that more entrepreneurs are motivated to work in this industry and establish their own.

The groundnut industry in Allahganj is also a significant source of revenue for the government. According to Rajeev Ranjan, secretary of the Agricultural Produce Market Committee, the Allahganj groundnut industry generates an average of Rs 20 lakh per month.

According to Arun Kumar Pandey, Assistant General Manager, District Industries Centre, the government has provided entrepreneurs with loan facilities to promote the groundnut industry in Allahganj. Entrepreneurs can benefit from this by completing the necessary paperwork.