Dakshina Kannada Development Dashboard

Dakshina Kannada is Karnataka's refining and petrochemical base. MRPL's refinery processed a record-level 16.774 MMT of crude in 2025-26 at 111.8% capacity utilisation (a record 6.78 MMT of diesel), earning Rs 1,05,155 crore in revenue and Rs 1,931 crore profit after tax (company-wide), with 2,450 employees. Its aromatics complex in the Mangalore SEZ (formerly ONGC Mangalore Petrochemicals, 442 acres, Rs 7,500 crore) is rated at 914 KTPA para-xylene and 283 KTPA benzene. The district also holds a 1.5 MMT underground strategic crude reserve at Permude, and in July 2026 ONGC's board approved a further 1.75 MT strategic petroleum reserve at Mangaluru as a project of national importance. Invest Karnataka records MRPL's investment in the district at Rs 25,409 crore. MRPL spent Rs 2,044 crore on capex and long-term investment in 2025-26 (Rs 1,154 crore in 2024-25).

New Mangalore Port, Karnataka's only major port, handled a record 50.04 MMT of cargo in 2025-26, up 8.8% from 46.01 MMT, and 1,79,594 TEUs of containers. It is India's largest coffee exporter and second-largest LPG importer, 92% mechanised and 100% solar powered, with usable capacity of 74 MMT and a goal of 100 MMT by 2047. At its Golden Jubilee in November 2025, 16 infrastructure and 113 CSR projects worth Rs 1,500 crore were inaugurated or begun, including a 150-bed PPP hospital, and NMPA signed Rs 52,000 crore of MoUs at India Maritime Week 2025. In March 2026 the Ministry approved a Rs 438.29 crore PPP redevelopment of Berth No. 9 (draft 10.5 m to 14 m, 10.90 MTPA, vessels up to 2 lakh DWT). Cargo beat the ministry's 48.5 MMT target; Berth No. 13 is proposed for captive users and Berth No. 17 is to be tendered. The Rs 196.51 crore Kulai fishing harbour is listed by Sagarmala as under implementation. In 2024-25 NMPA earned an operating income of Rs 921.36 crore, an operating surplus of Rs 611 crore and profit after tax of Rs 420.57 crore.

Panambur and Baikampady host Karnataka's only fertiliser plant and heavy process industry. Mangalore Chemicals & Fertilizers merged into Paradeep Phosphates in October 2025; in November 2025 the company approved a Rs 1,150 crore phosphoric and sulphuric acid plant at its Mangalore site (+0.25 MMTPA phosphoric acid, +0.75 MMTPA sulphuric acid, 2.5 years). KIOCL runs a 3.5 MTPA pellet plant and a blast furnace unit with its own port berth at Mangaluru; in 2025-26 it returned to profit (Rs 16.57 crore) on Rs 613.46 crore revenue, dispatched a record 27.71 lakh tonnes of NMDC-converted pellets across 53 shipments, and is building a Rs 218.30 crore coke oven plant (76% complete). Invest Karnataka records investments of Rs 1,985.99 crore (KIOCL), Rs 1,034 crore (MCF) and Rs 447 crore (BASF). KIOCL's Board and the Public Investment Board approved a Rs 836.90 crore Blast Furnace Unit integration (coke oven, waste-heat power, ductile iron pipe, pulverised coal injection, oxygen and nitrogen plants).

Marine fisheries is the district's One District One Product and, with cashew, the product line for which the Centre declared Dakshina Kannada an export hub in December 2025. The Fisheries Department recorded a marine catch of 1.72 lakh MT in 2024-25, down over 28% from 2.39 lakh MT in 2023-24; Karnataka's landings rebounded 44% in 2025 (CMFRI). The district has 3 fishing harbours and jetties, 3,198 boats, 23 fishermen's cooperatives and 94 fish markets (NABARD PLP 2026-27). The 2026-27 State Budget sets up a Centre of Excellence for biotechnology and mariculture at Mangalore Fisheries College and doubles the fishing kit support to Rs 20,000. District At A Glance 2024-25 records a total fish catch of 1,78,981 tonnes (Mangaluru taluk 1,28,001), 31,153 full-time and 1,924 part-time fishing families, 73 ice plants (2,707 tonnes/day), 16 cold storages (11,262 tonnes/day), 94 fish markets and 200 Matsyashraya housing beneficiaries.

Arecanut dominates the district's farms (99,190 ha, 1,30,940 MT in 2023-24), with coconut (25,340 ha), cashew (8,760 ha) and cocoa (1,320 ha) (NABARD PLP 2026-27). Mangaluru-headquartered CAMPCO, the arecanut and cocoa cooperative, recorded Rs 3,735 crore turnover in 2025-26, procured 58,742.76 MT of arecanut worth Rs 2,924.32 crore, and its Puttur chocolate factory produced 12,606.40 MT with Rs 488.65 crore of cocoa and chocolate sales (company-wide). Cashew is one of the district's two Export Hub products, and the district has 3,698 food-processing units. The 2023-24 crop report shows arecanut on 99,194 ha, coconut 25,341 ha, spices and condiments 22,838 ha and other plantation crops 7,381 ha, with 5 regulated markets and 29 sub-markets (DES).

Tourism Department figures show 6,53,39,542 domestic and 6,115 foreign tourists in 2025, up from about 5.07 crore in 2024 and 3.28 crore in 2023. Kukke Subrahmanya (1.60 crore), Dharmasthala (1.17 crore) and Kateel (63.6 lakh) lead, with Panambur (46.4 lakh), Someshwara (43.4 lakh) and Tannirbhavi (37.5 lakh) the busiest beaches and Pilikula drawing 28 lakh. The 2026-27 State Budget sets up a Kukke Shri Subramanya Temple development authority and a Comprehensive Coastal Tourism Development Plan (seaplanes, heli-taxis, river cruises), and Kodikal and Tannirbhavi beaches are among five coastal PPP tourism projects being fast-tracked (Sep 2026). Kukke Subrahmanya earned Rs 167.89 crore in 2025-26, the highest of any Muzrai temple in Karnataka for the 15th year running.

A regional services hub: 2,880 hospitals with 23,234 beds and 5,059 doctors (31.03.2025, District At A Glance 2024-25), 9 medical colleges, 18 engineering colleges, 11 polytechnics and 118 degree colleges (Invest Karnataka). In 2026 the district ranked 1st in Karnataka in SSLC results and recorded 93.57% in 2nd PUC (2nd in the state). A 300-bed government hospital at Puttur received Finance Department approval in November 2025, and Wenlock District Hospital is being expanded (Rs 70 crore in two phases, plus 74 beds from a Rs 10 crore MRPL CSR grant).