Jute textile industry
Topic: Manufacturing Industries of India: Location and Distribution · NCERT: Class 10, Ch 6 "Manufacturing Industries"
Meaning
The jute textile industry makes sacks, bags and other goods from jute fibre. India is the largest producer of raw jute and jute goods. It is the second-largest exporter, after Bangladesh. The first mill opened at Rishra near Kolkata in 1855.
The mills line the banks of the Hugli river for five reasons:
- Jute fields are nearby.
- Water transport is cheap.
- There is plenty of water for processing the fibre.
- Labour is cheap.
- Kolkata provides a port and banks.
At Partition, the mills stayed in India, but three-fourths of the jute-growing area went to East Pakistan.
Example
The Hugli belt around Kolkata in West Bengal is India's main jute mill area. Demand is supported by the Jute Packaging Materials Act 1987, which makes jute bags compulsory for packing foodgrain.
Don't confuse with
- Cotton textile industry: cotton grew up in the Maharashtra-Gujarat cotton belt in the west. Jute is concentrated in the east, along the Hugli.