Jute Textiles:

India is the largest producer of Jute and the second largest exporter after Bangladesh. Most of the Jute Industries are located in West Bengal mainly along the banks of the Hugli River. Jute supports around 40 lacks farm families and provides direct employment to 3.6 lakh workers in both industry and tertiary sector.

Jute Industry in labour intensive and as such its labour – output ratio is also high inspite of various difficulties being faced by the industry.

Major states producing Jute:

West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, Assam, Tripura, Meghalaya and Andhra Pradesh in 2005 National Jute policy was formulated with the objective to increase the productivity improving quality ensuring good prices to the jute farmers and enhancing the yield pees nature.

Sugar Industry:

Sugar industry is the second largest Agro-based industry of India. If we take Gur, Khandsari and Sugar together, then India becomes the largest producer of sugar product in the world. This industry employs about 2.5 lakh people.

Production and Distribution

The production of sugar depends upon the production of sugarcane, and it fluctuates with the fluctuations in the production of sugarcane. The total sugar production in 2017-2018 was 120 lakh tons. Most of the sugar mills are concentrated in six states, namely Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

The following are the factors for the localization of sugar industry –

1) Sugarcane is the main raw material for making sugar. Sugar mills can be set up only in the sugarcane producing areas. Sugarcane gets dry soon after harvesting. It can neither be stored nor kept for long period of time. Sugarcane should be taken immediately to the sugar mills after harvesting.

2) Transportation cost of sugarcane is high. Generally, sugarcane is transported through bullock carts which can carry it up to 20-25 kilometers. Recently tractor trolleys and trucks have been used to carry sugarcane to the sugar mills.

Beside these factors, capital, market, labour and power also play significant role in localization of this industry. Recently there is an followed pattern of shifting of more number of sugar industries from North India to Peninsular India.

Reasons for shifting of sugar industry from North India to Peninsular India–

Over the period, sugarcane industry is gradually shifting from north Indian states to states in Peninsular India. Some of the important reasons are as follows:

1) The production of sugarcane per hectare is higher is Peninsular India. In fact, sugarcane crop grows well in the tropical climate of south India.

2) The sucrose contents is higher in the tropical variety of sugarcane grown in the south.

3) The crushing season in south India is longer than in north India.

4) In south India most of the mills have modern machinery.

5) Most of the mills in Peninsular India are in cooperative sector, where profit maximization is not the sole objective.

Sugar Industry is seasonal in nature so, it is ideally suited to the cooperative sector.

Mineral Based Industries:

Industries which use minerals as the raw material are called mineral based industries. Iron and steel industry is the most important among these industries. Engineering, Cement, chemical and fertilizer industries are also important mineral based industries. These industries use minerals, both metallic and non-metallic as raw materials. E.g., Iron and Steel, Cement, Chemical, Fertilizers.

IRON AND STEEL INDUSTRY

Steel is often called as “backbone of modern Industry” as this is basic raw material for various other secondary sector industries.

Although iron and steel manufacturing activity in India is very old, modern iron and steel industry started with the establishment of ‘Bengal Iron and Steel Works’ at Kulti in West Bengal in 1817.

The major iron and steel plants of India are situated in the states of Jharkhand, West Bengal, Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and TamilNadu. Besides there are about 200 mini steel plants in India with a capacity of 6.2 million tonnes per annum. Mini steel plants produce steel from scrap or sponge iron. These units constitute an important component of iron and steel industry in the country. Most of the steel plants are located in and around Chhota Nagpur plateau which is endowed with rich deposits of iron ore, coal, manganese and limestone.

To produce one Ton of Steel it requires 8 Tonnes of coal, 4 Tonnes of Iron ore and 1 Ton of limestone.

As per in 2016 Per capita consumption of steel was only around 61kg against the world average of 208 kg. National steel policy 2017 was released to create a self-sufficient Indian steel industry. Also, it projected to increase the per capita steel consumption to 160kg by 2030-2031.