Cotton textile industry
Topic: Manufacturing Industries of India: Location and Distribution · NCERT: Class 10, Ch 6 "Manufacturing Industries"
Meaning
The cotton textile industry turns raw cotton into yarn and cloth. Before modern mills, cotton cloth in India was hand-spun and hand-woven. This craft suffered in colonial times because it could not compete with English mill cloth. The first successful mill opened in Mumbai in 1854, and demand rose during both World Wars.
Early mills grew in the cotton belt of Maharashtra and Gujarat. That area offered raw cotton, a market, a port, labour and a moist climate. Moist air means the yarn breaks less often. Spinning is concentrated in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu. Weaving is spread out across handlooms, powerlooms and mills, and its quality is lower.
Example
Ahmedabad in Gujarat is called the "Manchester of India" because of its many cotton mills. The industry later spread to Coimbatore, Kanpur, Indore and Solapur.
Don't confuse with
- Footloose industry: this can locate almost anywhere. Cotton textiles are tied to raw material, so calling them footloose is a common exam trap.