In 1982 the district of Pathanamthitta was formed and the town of Pathanamthitta was named its headquarters. It is surrounded by the districts of Kottayam, Idukki, Kollam and Alappuzha on all directions. It is an inland district. It is predominantly an agricultural district growing rubber and tea the most. The shrine at Sabaimala is a star attraction and about 10 million pilgrims visit it every year.The state of Kerala has been divided into 14 districts for the sake of effective administration. 

Pathanamthitta is a landlocked district situated in the southern part of the state, and is bordered by Kottayam and Idukki districts in the north, Alappuzha in the west,Kollam in the south and has a border with Tamil Nadu in the east. The district was made up from combining areas from the Alappuzha, Idukki and Kollam districts.The district is part of the historical Central Travancore region of Kerala. The Central Travancore consists of the South-Central districts of Pathanamthitta and (parts of) Kottayam, Alappuzha, Idukky and Kollam.

Major towns in the district are Thiruvalla, Pathanamthitta, Aranmula, Kozhencherry, Kumbanad, Konni, Pandalam,Adoor, Ranni, Vadaserikara, Sabarimala, Mallappally and Parumala. More than 50% of the district is covered by forests.Pathanamthitta is a pre-dominantly agricultural district with major crops being coconut, rubber,paddy, pepper and tea. The hilly terrain coupled with high humidity make it suitable for rubber and tea plantations.Hydroelectric power plants situated in the district provide one-third of the electricity demands of the state. Three important rivers, the Achankovil, Manimala and Pamba flow through the district. Pamba originates from Sabarimala and is considered a holy river.Pathanamthitta holds the distinction of being declared the first polio-free district in India. It is 10.03% urbanised.

Large Scale Industries / Public Sector undertakings

Traco Cables, Kizhakken Muthoor, Thiruvalla.

Major Exportable Item

Oleoresine, Spice Oil, Other Food Products,Fried Food Products, Etc.

Growth Trend

Construction Field, Food Processing, Light Engineering Field, Bakery Products, Rubber Based Products. 

Medium Scale Enterprises

Akay flaours & Aromatics Ltd., Nallanikkunnu P.o.Pathanamthitta.

Tierra Foods, Kinfra industrial park, Elamannoor.

 Service Enterprises

      Automobile, IT Enabled Services

Potential for new MSMEs

      Food Processing, Construction Field, Rubber Based

Existing  Clusters of  Micro & Small Enterprise

     1. Pathanamthitta Wood consortium 2. Pathanamthitta Plastic consortium

Major cluster

            PAFCO – Agro Food Processing