Cotton textile Industry is the quickest-growing segment of the textile industry. China and India are the world's largest producers of cotton textiles. Around 4.5 crore people are employed in India's textile industry, including 35.22 lakh handloom workers. In 2018-19, the industry contributed 7% of total industry output (by value). In the same year, the Indian textiles and apparel industry contributed 2% to GDP, 12% to export earnings, and 5% to the global textiles and apparel trade. This article will explain to you about Cotton Textile Industries which will be helpful in preparing Geography for the UPSC Civil service exam.

Cotton Textile Industries in India

• From Ancient India to Modern India, cotton was the most important commodity traded. Cotton textiles have been around since 1818 AD.
• In India, cotton textile centres are located in four regions: the Western Region, the Southern Region, the Northern Region, and the Eastern Region.
• The first cotton cloth mill in India was established in Fort Gloster, near Kolkata, in 1818.

Growth And Development

• The cotton textile industry was initially concentrated in Rajasthan, Maharashtra, and Gujarat, where cotton was grown.
• Localization was aided by the availability of raw materials, the market, transportation, labour, and a humid climate, among other factors.
• This industry was very important to Bombay's economy in the early twentieth century, but it quickly declined after independence.
• As a result of the partition, most of the long-staple cotton-growing areas went to Pakistan in 1947, causing the industry to suffer a serious setback.
• The majority of cotton mills, however, remained in India. India faced a severe shortage of raw cotton as a result of these circumstances.
• In Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Tamil Nadu, spinning is still centralised, but weaving is highly decentralised.
• There are 1,946 cotton textile mills in India as of 30 November 2011 with about 80% in the private sector and the rest in the public and cooperative sectors.
• There are thousands of small factories with three to ten looms in addition to these.

Present Position

• Cotton textiles are currently India's largest organised modern industry.
• This industry has grown at a phenomenal rate over the last four decades.
• This industry employs about 16% of the country's industrial capital and over 20% of the country's industrial labour.
• The total number of people employed in this industry is well over 15 million.
• Currently, the country has 1,719 textile mills, with 188 in the public sector, 147 in the cooperative sector, and 1,384 in the private sector.
• Three-quarters of the mills were spinning mills, with the remaining one-fourth being composite mills.
• Aside from mills, there are tens of thousands of small factories with 5 to 10 looms.

Major Textile Hubs in India

Locational Factors

• The availability of raw cotton, the market, transportation, and other factors all play a role in the localization of the cotton textile industry.
• The importance of raw cotton is demonstrated by the fact that 80 percent of the industry is located in the country's cotton-growing regions.
• It's also worth noting that cotton is a pure raw material in the sense that it doesn't lose much weight during the manufacturing process, and any weight loss is more than offset by the use of sizing materials.
• The cost of transporting raw cotton and finished cloth is not significantly different.
• Both can be transported with ease and without significantly increasing the overall cost of production.
• As a result, this industry is more likely to be found in cities with good transportation connections to the market.
• To put it another way, it is primarily a market-driven industry.
• With its tropical and subtropical climate, India's cotton textile industry has a huge market potential.
• Despite the fact that West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, and Orissa do not grow cotton, they still have a large number of large cities where the cotton textile industry thrives.
• Although cotton textile manufacturing was once concentrated in Mumbai during the early stages of industrialisation, it has since spread across the country and now covers nearly the entire country.
• Because it was a traditional cottage industry, there was plenty of low-cost, skilled labour.
• The most striking feature of the industry's distribution is that, even within a state, it is concentrated in specific areas and regions, almost to the exclusion of others.

Distribution

• Although cotton textile mills can be found in over 80 Indian towns and cities, Maharashtra, Gujarat, West Bengal, and Uttar Pradesh have the highest concentration.
• They are India's leading cotton textile producer.

Distribution of Cotton Textile Industries in India

Government Initiatives

• The Indian government has enacted a number of textile export promotion policies.
• Under the automatic route, it has also allowed 100 percent FDI in the sector.
• The Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, Textiles, Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution announced in October 2021 the establishment of 100 textile machinery champions in the country to promote the industry in the global market.
• The government hopes that by doing so, India will become a global player in textile machinery.
• The Weaver MUDRA Scheme was established to assist handloom weavers/weaver entrepreneurs by providing margin money assistance of 20% of the loan amount up to a maximum of Rs. 10,000 per weaver.
• The loan comes with a 6-percentage-point interest rate and a three-year credit guarantee.

Challenges

Scarcity of Raw Cotton

• The Indian cotton textile industry suffered greatly as a result of partition, as most long staple cotton growing areas were transferred to Pakistan.
• Although much progress has been made in improving raw cotton production, supply has always lagged behind demand.
• As a result, imports are used to meet a large portion of the long staple cotton needs.

Outdated Machinery

• The majority of textile mills are old and have out-of-date machinery.
• As a result, productivity is low and quality is poor.
• Textile machinery installed even 10-15 years ago in developed countries has become outdated and obsolete, whereas in India, 60-75 percent of machinery is 25-30 years old.
• Only 18-20% of looms in India are automatic, whereas the percentage of automatic looms in Hong Kong and the United States ranges from 0% to 100% in Canada, 92 percent in Sweden, 83 percent in Norway, 76% in Denmark, 70% in Australia, 60% in Pakistan, and 45 percent in China.

Erratic Power Supply

• The power supply to most cotton textile mills is erratic and insufficient, which has a negative impact on production.

Low Labour Productivity

• In comparison to some advanced countries, India's labour productivity is extremely low.
• A worker in India handles about two looms on average, compared to 30 looms in Japan and 60 looms in the United States.
• If an American worker's productivity is 100, the corresponding figure for the United Kingdom is 51.
• Japan received 33 points, while India received only 13.

Strikes

• While labour strikes are common in the industrial sector, the cotton textile industry suffers greatly as a result of frequent strikes.
• The organised sector suffered a severe setback as a result of the long-running strike in 1980.
• It took the government almost 23 years to realise this and pass legislation to support the organised sector.

Tough Competition

• The Indian cotton mill industry is up against stiff competition from the powerloom and handloom industries, synthetic fibres, and foreign products.

Sick Mills

• The above factors, acting singly or in combination, have resulted in a large number of sick mills.
• A total of 177 mills have been labelled "sick mills."
• The National Textile Corporation, which was founded in 1975, has worked to eliminate sick mills and has taken over the management of 125 sick mills.
• The fact that 483 mills have already closed is alarming.

Significance

• India is the world's second-largest cotton producer, with the world's largest cotton-growing area.
• In comparison to other countries, it has a competitive advantage in low-cost cotton sourcing.
• The average wage rate in India is 50-60% lower than in developed countries, allowing India to benefit from global outsourcing trends in labour-intensive industries like garments and home textiles.
• Design and fashion capabilities have helped Indian companies strengthen their relationships with global retailers and gain a competitive advantage over their Chinese counterparts.
• Installations for production: From spinning to garment manufacturing, production facilities are available throughout the textile value chain.
• The industry is investing in technology and expanding its capabilities, which will prove to be a valuable asset in the coming years.
• Arvind Mills and Welspun India are two major Indian players.
• In the global market, Alok Industries and Raymonds have established themselves as 'quantity producers.'

Exports

• Cotton textiles are a major export from India.
• Cotton yarn, cloth, and ready-to-wear garments are among India's most important exports.
• Indian garments are well-known for their quality and design around the world, and they are widely accepted in the fashion industry.
• It is undeniable that readymade garment exports have increased dramatically since 1960-61.
• In August 1999, the Expert Committee on Textile Policy, which was established in 1998, submitted its report to the government.
• One of the major goals set forth in the Textile Policy 2000 was to increase textile and apparel exports from $ 11 billion to $ 50 billion by 2010, with garments accounting for $ 25 billion of that total.
• The United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, East European countries, Australia, New Zealand, Nepal, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and some African countries are the main destinations for our exports.

Conclusion

Programs like Skill India and Make-in-India, as well as the continued development and growth of management consulting firms in India for foreign companies, are assisting the Indian textile industry's development. The textile industry would become competitive in the global market if it had access to skilled manpower and a good market for its products. With proper market entry strategies in place for global behemoths, the Indian textile industry's future looks bright, buoyed by both strong domestic and export demand.