Manufacturing Industries in India - I : Agro-based

A few agro-based industries are:

1. Cotton Textile
2. Silk
3. Sugar
4. Jute
5. Vegetable oil
6. Food Processing

Four special features of the cotton textile industry in India are:

1. It is the first manufacturing industry in India.
2. It is the largest organized industry in India.
3. It occupies an important place in terms of employment generation.
4. The industry has developed all over India but the largest number of mills are situated in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu.

Two reasons why the cotton textile industry has been developed around Mumbai are:

1. The black cotton soil in the hinterland of Mumbai which provides cotton as basic raw material.
2. Humid climate of shore-based Mumbai which is ideal for this industry as the thread does not break so easily.

Cotton textile industry is the oldest and the most widespread industry in India.

The problems of the cotton textile industry are:

1. Scarcity of Raw Material — Supply of raw material is not adequate.
2. Obsolete Machinery — Most of the mills have obsolete machinery. This has resulted in low productivity and inferior quality.
3. Inadequate Power Supply — With increasing population, the problem of power supply is becoming acute and the industry suffers from shortage of power.
4. Low Productivity of Labour — Labour productivity is extremely low in India as compared to other advanced countries.
5. Stiff Competition — Indian cotton textile has to face stiff competition from power-loom and synthetic fibre product.
6. Sick Mills — 177 mills have been declared as sick mills as they are going in loss.

Three problems faced by sugar industry are:

1. Low and irregular supply of raw material — The yield per hectare is very low as compared to other sugarcane producing areas of the world. This results in shortage of sugarcane to sugar mills.
2. Fluctuations in the output of sugarcane — Since the industry is agro-based, it is seasonal. Due to erratic nature of monsoons sugarcane production fluctuates.
3. Small and uneconomic size of sugar mills — Many sugar mills are uneconomic as they are of very small size with a capacity of 1000 to 15000 tonnes per day.

The art of rearing silkworms for silk production is called sericulture.

The factors responsible for the concentration of silk industry in Karnataka are:

1. Availability of favourable climate for rearing silkworm.
2. Availability of the mulberry plant which is raised as a plantation bush.
3. Availability of the silkworm known as Bombyxmori which is reared throughout the year.
4. In Mysuru, raising silkworms, reeling and weaving of raw silk is one of the main occupations of people. Reeling is a process in which the worm is boiled in water and the silk fibre is pulled out.
5. Availability of abundant soft water free from alkaline salt and iron.
6. Recent introduction of a new technology of handling Bombyxmori.
7. Sericulture provides employment for women folk in rearing silkworm while men work in the plantation.

Sugar industry has a tendency to migrate towards the south. The reasons for the gradual shifting of sugar industry towards the south are:

1. The peninsular India has tropical climate which is ideal for growing sugarcane. The black soil, higher temperature, good amount of rainfall or irrigation and frost-free growing season results in higher yield per unit.
2. The sucrose content is higher in the tropical variety of sugarcane in the south.
3. The crushing season is longer in the south than in the north.
4. The cooperative sugar mills are better managed in south than in the north.
5. In south, most of the mills are new and hence, are equipped with modern machinery.

The by-products of the sugar industry are:

1. Molasses — It is used in manufacture of fertilizer, DDT, power alcohol, synthetic rubber, plastic, rum, chemicals and cattle feed.
2. Bagasse — It serves as raw material for paper industry. It is also used for making cardboard.
3. Press mud — It is used for making wax, shoe polish and carbon paper.

sugar industry

silk industry

paper industry

Karnataka

Maharashtra

Tamil Nadu

making wax

sugar industry

Gujarat

Assam