Business and Economy

Majority of the people in the Tumkur District are engaged in agricultural sector, which focuses on ragi, paddy and groundnut cultivation. The district has an estimated 24.02 million tonnes of limestone reserves, along with rich reserves of iron ore and building stones. Food processing, IT and BT, and textiles and handlooms are the major industries. The District has 7 industrial areas and 7 industrial estates, one of which is in Tumkur city. Proximity to Bangalore makes the district an extension for the industries that have been forced to look for alternative locations due to the influx of IT in the city. Historically, there is no authentic record of large industries in the district, but mining has been prominent through the ages. In 2013, the government has allocated 9000 acres to the National Investment and Manufacturing zone in the district.  The gross domestic district product was 2017 million US dollars in 2008-2009.

Agricultural Profile of Tumkur

The total area under cultivation was 67359 hectares in 2010-2011. The district enjoys diverse agro-climatic conditions and ragi and groundnut are the major cultivated commercial crops. Hybrids of paddy are also widely cultivated. Sericulture or silk farming is one of the prominent agricultural enterprises.

Industrial Profile of Tumkur

Tumkur District contributes around 3.2% of the state domestic product at current prices. It is home to 29 large and medium scale industries with an investment of 6139.28 Crores.  Resource based industries constitute the21864 small scale industries, for example: rice mills, oil mills, dolomite power industries and granite polishing.

Key Industries Operating in Tumkur

Rice mills, Oils Extraction Mills and Coir Industries are part of the Food Park established across 100 acres worth 22 Crores. Markonaholli Fish Seed Farm, along with the above is part of the agro based industries of the area. The Karnataka Government has proposed to set up electronic hardware manufacturing hubs in the Bangalore - Tumkur corridor. A handloom cluster is prominent in the district along with flower auction centers. The key industrial icons are: H & R Johnson ltd., HMT watches ltd., Maini Granite ltd., CIPSA, Kern Liebers Pvt ltd., Sunvik Steel Pvt ltd., Beloor Bayir Biotech ltd., Weinnerberger Brick Industry, along with consultants like System Consultant Information India (P) ltd.

Karnataka Industrial Policy 2009-14

The Tumkur district has been divided into zones under the policy, out of which Tumkur city lies in Zone 3. The National Investment and Manufacturing Zone at Tumkur aims at improving infrastructure and developing a urban industrial area. Various exemptions from taxes and fees have been offered to ensure robust economic growth.

Infrastructure in Tumkur

There are 7 industrial areas and 7 industrial spread across the district, out of which one industrial estate lies in Tumkur city.  An Apparel zone, food park, IT/BT park and auto park have been proposed in the district. The district has 559 post offices, 112 telephone exchanges and 36 Urban Cooperative Banks. The nearest seaport is Mangalore, which has 44 million tonnes of carrying capacity. Bengaluru International Airport is 80km away from the district. NH4 and NH8 pass through the district along with 100 km of railway lines.

Business Friendly climate, special support to medium and small scale enterprises, concessions on loans and exemptions on tax for large scale industries, and growth oriented policies of the state have set Tumkur on the path of becoming the industrial hub of Karnataka.