In this section of Major
Industries in India we will discuss about the leading market
industries and industries products. We will discuss in detials about
textiles industry, chemicals industry, food processing industry,
steel industry, cement industry, mining, petroleum and software.
According to some experts, it is said that the share of the US in
the world GDP is expected to fall, from 21% to 18%, and the share of
India in the world GDP is going to rise from 6% to 11% by 2025.
Hence, India is to emerge as a third pole, after the US and China,
in the global economy.
The expectation is based upon the growth in all the sectors in
India. One of them is the industry sector. It measured a growth rate
of 6.2% in October 2003 with a sharp increase of nearly 4% in
October 2004, marking 10.1%. Textile industry is the largest
industry in terms of employment.
The following discusses about the major industries in India and
also major export industry:
LIST OF MAJOR INDUSTRIES IN INDIA
Textiles
The Indian textile industry covers a wide gamut of activities. Its
production ranges from raw materials such as cotton, jute, silk and
wool to a high value-added products like fabrics and garments to
consumers. The industry make use of different varieties of fibres,
be it natural fibres, man made fibres or blends of such fibres.
In Indian economy, the textile industry plays a significant role.
It provides direct employment to approximately 35 million people and
contributes 4 per cent of GDP. It fetches 35 per cent of gross
export earnings and contributes 14 per cent of the value-addition in
the manufacturing sector.
Chemicals
The chemical industry in India is one of the oldest domestic
industries and it currently produces nearly 70,000 commercial
products, from cosmetics and toiletries, to plastics and pesticides.
The country is the 13th largest exporter of pesticides and
disinfectants globally. In terms of volume, it figures 12th largest
producer of chemicals. The petrochemical, agrochemical, and
pharmaceutical industries are some of the fastest growing sectors in
the Indian economy.
The estimated worth of chemical industry is $28 billion and it
accounts for 12.5 per cent of the total industrial production of
India and 16.2 per cent of the its total exports.
Food Processing
India is one of the major food producing country in the world but
accounts less than 1.5 per cent of international food trade. Hence,
there is a vast scope for the expansion of this industry. The food
processing industry is estimated (2004) at Rs 3,150 bn (US$ 70 bn),
including value added products of Rs 990 bn (US$ 22bn). The
estimated growth of this industry is 9-12% and on the basis of
estimated GDP, the growth rate is 6-8%, during the tenth plan
period. The industry employs 1.6 mn workers and it is projected to
grow to 37 mn, direct and indirect, by 2025.
Steel
The 4000 years Indian steel industry is on the upswing. During
April-December 2004-05, the production of the finished steed
recorded a growth of 4 per cent and reached 28.3 million tonnes. In
the world scenario, Indian steel industry ranks 10th. It represents
approximately Rs. 9,000 crore of capital and provides direct
employment to more than 0.5 million people.
Major Players: Steel Authority of India (SAIL), Bbilai Steel Plant,
Durgapur Steel Plant, Rourkela Steel Plant, Bokaro Steel Plant.
Cement
Cement industry in India comprises of 125 large cement plants and
over 300 mini cement plants having total installed capacity of
148.28 million tonnes and 11.10 million tonnes per annum
respectively. In addition to this, there are 10 large cement plants
owned by various State Governments. So, the total installed capacity
of the country as a whole stands at 159.38 million tonnes. The
export of cement in 2003-04 was 6.92 million tonnes.
Major Players: Ambuja cement, Aditya Cement, J K Cement and L &
T Cement.
Mining
The mining industries share in India's GDP is from 2.2% to 2/5%
only but it contributes to 10-11% in industrial sector's GDP. The
organised mining sector employs nearly 0.7 million people. Small
scale mining approximately contributes to 6% of the total value of
mineral production.
Petroleum
The petroleum industry in India is one of the oldest industry in
the world, with oil being struck as early as 1867 at Makum near
Margherita in Assam, nine years after Col. Drake's discovery in
Titusville. Since then the industry has come a long way. Today,
after over fifty years of independence, the oil sector, has seen the
growth of giant national companies, like ONGC. India represents one
of the most exciting oil markets in the world today.
Major Players in integrated refining and marketing are HPCL, BPCL
and IOC.
Software
The software industry in India symbolizes India's strength in the
knowledge based economy. It has witnessed a phenomenal growth in
last decade. The Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) is 42.3%.
According to NASSCOM's projection, the software industries
contribution is expected to grow to 7% by 2008 which started with
0.59% in 1994-95 and reached to 2.87% by 2001-02.
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Major Export Industries of India
