Industries

West Bengal's most important industrial belts is:

 North and South of Kolkata along the River Hooghly.
 Along the Bank of River Damodar
 Steel Plants at Durgapur and Burnpur and a Locomotive Plant in Chittaranjan.
 West Bengal is rich in agricultural resources like Tea and Jute.
Jute Industry
 West Bengal is the pioneer and the most important state in the country for Jute
manufacturing.
 The first Jute Mill was set up in 1859 at Rishra
near Kolkata.
 The state holds first position in the production of
Jute in the country.
 The state alone produces more than 75% of the
Jute the country products. Jute is grown in major
parts of lower Ganges plains, especially in the
districts of Midnapur, Bardhman, 24 Paraganas,
Malda, Murshidabad etc.
 Jute Textile in West Bengal is predominantly
concentrated in the bank of river Hoogly.
 India is the largest producer of Jute in the world.
Approximately 60 percent of the total. World
produce of Jute is cultivated in India.
 Bihar comes at the second place of Jute
produced in the year 2014-15.
 State of Assam occupies the third place.
Major factors for the Development of Jute Industry
 Majority raw jute in India is produced in this area.
 Supply of fresh water from the Hoogli river for the jute fibre.
 Facility of water transport.
 Availability of Thermal and Hydal Power (DVC).
 Availability of Kolkata/Haldia Port.

Prepared by MOUMITA MA'AM # 1

  Availability of cheap Labour.
Problem of Jute Industry
 There had been decrease in the demand of finished Jute goods in the international and
national market.
 Most of Mills are old and outdated.
General Information
 It is a weight losing industry.
 (The weight of the final product is less the weight of the raw material).
 Before partition India had monopoly over world jute production.
 Most of the Jute Mills remained India. but the cultivating area West to East Pakistan
(Bangladesh).
Paper Industry
 Manufacturing of paper in India started in Srirampur in West Bengal.
 The state has since slide down the ladder to fifth place with 22 Mills, 7 per cent of the
installed capacity and about the same percentage of production. West Bengal has the
advantage of early start of this industry.
 The paper industry in West Bengal is based on bamboo which is available locality or is
obtained from Assam, Orissa and Jharkhand, and Sabai Grass which is obtained from
Chhatisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. Coal is abundantly available from Jharia and Raniganj.
 Ganga and other rivers provide sufficient water for processing. High density of population
provides cheap labour the highest concentration of paper mills is found along the Hugli
River. Titagarh, Kankinara, Raniganj, Bansberia, Sheoraphuli, Chandrabati, Triveni,
Naihati, Kolkata and Baranagore are some of the important centres of paper manufacturing
in West Bengal.
Paper Mills in West Bengal
Industry Paper Mills
1. Titagarh 1. Titagarh Paper Mills Limited
2. Naihati 2. Indian Paper Pulp Company
3. Dakshineswar 3. Wimco Paper Mills Limited
4. Tribeni 4. Tribeni Tissue Limited
5. Raniganj 5. Bengal Paper Mills Limited.

Favourable Factors
 Adequate supply of water is needed fro paper Industry.
 River Hooghly provides cheap water and transport.
 Consumption of power in this industry is very high, so availability of power from the local
thermal power stations like Raniganj plays a major role.
Tea Industry
 Tea Plantation in West Bengal is encouraged in the Northern Districts of West Bengal.

Prepared by MOUMITA MA'AM # 2

  Darjeeling District became important for the production of World Famous Darjeeling
Tea, which still obtains the highest price in the world Tea Auction London.
 West Bengal is the 2nd largest tea producing state followed by Assam and contributes
about 1/4 of the tea production in India.
 The management of tea is done by Tea Board of India.
Iron and Steel Industry
 Bengal Iron Works Company : In 1870 a small plant was founded by James Erskine In
the jungles of Kulti to make iron. This produced only "Cast Iron".
 Starting off as Bengal Iron Works Company, it became Burraker Iron Works in 1881
and was renamed as Bengal Iron and Steel Company in 1890. Later in 1926 the
company again changed its name to Bengal Iron Company Ltd.
Indian Iron and Steel Company
 IISCO
 IISCO had set up an iron making plant at Burnpur near Asansol.
 Started production in 1918
 2nd oldest steel plant in India
 Iron ore : Gua mines (Jharkhand)
 River: Damodar
 Power : DVC
Steel Plants at Durgapur
 Durgapur Steel Plant was set up during 2nd Five Year Plan.
 West Bengal Iron and Steel Plant was developed along the Coal Belt of Raniganj-
Asansol.
 This is why Durgapur is known as the "Rurh of India".
 Durgapur Steel Plant is a public sector unit under the Steel Authority of India (SAIL)
 Located in the Bank of River Damodar.
 Coal comes from: Raniganj Coal field.
 Iron Ore comes from : Noamundi in Jharkhand.
 Power : DVC
 Set up in colaboration with : Britain.
Petrochemical Industry
 Haldia is an industrial City and Manicipality in Purba Medinipur District, in the Indian
State of West Bengal.
 Haldia is also connected via the 1620 Km long Inland waterway, National Waterway 1 that
runs from Allahabad across Ganges, Bhagirathi and Hooghly River System to Haldia.
 The state of WOF Petroleum products and 13% of India's Polymer production.
 Haldia Petrochemicals Ltd. is India's second largest integrated petrochemical complex.

Prepared by MOUMITA MA'AM # 3

  Mitsubshi Chemicals and Corporation, Japan's largest Chemical Firm and One EST
Bengal Accounts for almost 4% of India's production of the world's top 10 Chemical
Companies.
 Exide Battery Factory : Haldia.
Cotton Textile Industry
 India's first modern cotton textile was set up at Fort Gloster near Kolkata.
 Serampore, Rishra, Howrah, Uluberia, are important centries of Coon Textile in West
Bengal
 Cotton Textile Industry provides maximum employment.
 Paridhan Garment Park built by WBIDC provides necessary infrastructure to the Jute and
Cotton Textile.
 (Paridhan, the Garment Park promoted by WBIDC is a composite facility for
garment/apparel manufacturing units catering to both domestic & export markets. The
International Standard park provides state of the art facilities to the entrepreneurs at an
affordable price. The Park has been set up to promote the growth of garment, hosiery, and
apparel industry in the state.)

Prepared by MOUMITA MA'AM # 4