Nagpur, 08 Oct (HS): Being the largest producer of
cotton in India Maharashtra features a rapidly expanding textile infrastructure
with major mega projects, regional clusters, and newly proposed commercial
hubs. Maharashtra produces about 25 per cent of the total cotton produced in
India.
Gujarat nd Maharashtra are the leading producers of cotton in India ,
together accounting for a major share of the country's total output. The first
PM MITRA project was approved for Nandgaonpeth in Amravati district.
Top Cotton-Producing States in India
· Gurajat: Often called the 'Cottin Bowl of India' with high yeld in districts like Rajkot, Bhavnagar and Amreli.
·
Maharashtrta: Features the largest area under cotton cultivation, with major production
concentrated in the Vidarbha and Marathwada regions (including districts like
Yavatmal and Jalgaon).
· Telangana: Has risen rapidly to become a major southern producer backed by favorable
farming conditions and Bt cotton adoption in districts like Warangal and
Adilabad.
· Rajasthan: Grows substantial quantities using canal irrigation in northern districts like
Sri Ganganagar.
· Karnataka: Cultivates rainfed and irrigated cotton across northern districts like Raichur
and Dharwad.
·Other Producers:Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab also contribue to the national cotton production.
Realising
the potential of the nation in producing cotton, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched
an ambitious project PM-MITRA Scheme (Prime Minister Mega Integrated Textile
Region and Apparel), to build large scale integrated textile infrastructure to
lower logistic costs and attract manufacturing investments. With the vision of 5Fs
– Farm to Fibre to Factory to Fashion to Foreign the Prime Minister made a
budget outlay of Rs 4,445 crore with the Textile Minister for the financial
year 2027-2028.
Major
& Existing Textile Parks / Hubs
·PM MITRA Park (Amravati): Located in Nandgaon Peth, this massive 1,020-acre
PM MITRA Park is part of the central government’s 7 PM MITRA projects. It
offers plug-and-play facilities, ultra-low utility costs, and direct proximity
to India's largest cotton belt.
Traditional
& Industrial Clusters: Well-established regional manufacturing and weaving centers operate in Ichalkaranji, Solapur, Bhiwandi and Nagpur.
SITP-Sanctioned Parks: Older schemes under the Scheme for Integrated
Textile Parks (SITP) include operational units like Metro Hi-Tech Cooperative Park, Baramati HiTech Textile Park, Deesan Infrastrcutre, Islampur Intergrated Textile Park, Latur Integrated Textile Park. Asmeeta Infratech, and Hinganghat Textile Park.
Proposed Textile
Projects
Commercial Textile Park in Nagpur: A newly proposed outlines a
multi-storey, commercial complex spanning 15,503 square meters. It is designed
to house 672 units (shops, manufacturing, warehousing) to support Vidarbha's
textile trade.
Technical Textile Parks &
Mission:
Maharashtra launched the Maharashtra
Technical Textile Mission (MTTM) alongside plans for Six Technical Textile Parks focusing
on Meditech, Agrotech, and Geotech sectors.
Dharashiv
Technical Textile Park:
Designated as the state's first specialized technical textile park in phases.
Mini
Textile Parks: An
initiative to set up 18 Mini Textile Parks across various districts (including Pune, Kolhapur, Nagpur,
Amravati, and Wardha) to decentralized production and attract Rs 1,800 crore in
investments.
Malegaon
Integrated Textile Park: Approved
for land transfer (345 hectares) by MIDC to boost regional farm-to-fashion
capabilities
Maharashtra’s
initiative
State
Government of Maharashtra (India) has recently announced its plans to open nine
textile parks throughout the state. Of this, two will be in Yavatmal and
Buldhana in the Vidarbha region, and the rest in Marathwada and Jalgaon
district of north Maharashtra.
Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister, Maharashtra Had said, “The textile industry will
always have a growth potential as demand for garments is never going to die
down. We have identified 10 viable districts on the availability of cotton on
the basis of which the textile parks are being formed.”
Though the
state already has a textile park at Nandgaopeth in Amravati district but
additional parks in Vidharbha includes those in Yavatmal and Buldhana. Apart
from this, an integrated textile park is being set up in Hinghanghat as part of
a central government scheme. The state has attracted investment to the tune of
over Rs. 40, 000 crore in the textile sector during the last 4-5 years and the
Nandgaopeth textile park is considered to be the most promising with a capacity
to attract investment worth Rs. 10,000 crore.
History of Textile Industry
India’s textile industry is over 5000 years old, originated in the Indus
Valley Civilisation, where people wore hand-spun cotton and used indigo dye.
The archaeological sites like Mehergarh and Mohenjodaro show evidence of
cotton cultivation, spindle whorls and dyed threats, which dates back to 3,000
to 5,000 BC. During the Maurya and Mughal period fine cottons like muslin and
calico with luxury silks were traded worldwide. Trade with Rome, China and the
Middle-East was established.
The British East India Company restricted Indian exports. Later the
Industrial Revolution in Britain transformed India again as a leading global
exporter of finished goods and supplier of raw cotton.
Mahatma Gandhi promoted hand-spun Khadi as symbol of self-reliance
(Swadeshi). In 1947 the Indian Government rebuilt the textile sector through
modern mills, powerlooms and handloom development schemes.
Today the sector employs about 45
million people and is one of the world’s largest producers and exporters of
textile and raw cotton.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Ajay Vasant Mardikar
