Page 177 - SST Class 08

g Cotton : Second largest cotton and cellu- countries. At present, China, Japan and India are
losic fibres producing country in the world.
g Silk : India is the second largest producer
of silk and contributes about 18% to the
total world raw silk production.
g Wool : India has 3rd largest sheep popula-
tion in the world, having 6.15 crores sheep,
producing 45 million kg of raw wool and
accounting for 3.1% of total world wool
production. India ranks 6th amongst clean
wool producer countries and 9th amongst
greasy wool producers.
g Man-Made Fibres : India is the fourth
largest in synthetic fibres/yarns globally.
g Jute : India is the largest producer and
second largest exporter of the jute goods.
Cotton Textile Industry
Events of great historical importance are con-
nected with the growth and development of
cotton textile industry. Its growth is closely linked
with advent of civilizations as in Indus Valley in
India stated earlier or Egyptian civilization who
used linen made of flax and Industrial Revolution
in England which in initial phase central around
cotton textile industry. Invention of machines in
the course of the Industrial Revolution brought
about a phenomenal change in the textile indus-
try. Power loom, made mass production of
textiles possible. It made clothes within easy
reach of ordinary persons. Mass production first
started in Great Britain and then spread to other
Social Science-8 177
major producers of cotton textiles.
Five Important Factors Favouring Growth
of the Indian Textile Industry
g Raw Material : India has high self- suffi-
ciency for raw material particularly natural
fibres. India’s cotton crop is the third largest
in the world. Indian textile industry pro-
duces and handles all types of fibres.
g Labour : Cheap labour and strong entre-
preneurial skills have always been the
backbone of the Indian textile industry.
g Flexibility : The small size of manufactur-
ing which is predominant in the apparel
industry allows for greater flexibility to
service smaller and specialised orders.
g Rich Heritage : The cultural diversity and
rich heritage of the country offers good
inspiration base for designers.
g Domestic Market : Natural demand
drives including rising income levels,
increasing urbanisation and growth of the
purchasing population drive domestic
demand.
CASE STUDY: COTTON TEXTILE
INDUSTRY IN INDIA
As has been stated earlier, Indian cotton textiles
have a very long history. The Muslims of Dhaka
in undivided India, calico of Calicut, chintzes of
Masulipatnam, gold-wrought cotton pieces of
Burhanpur, Surat and Vadodara were well-
known worldwide before Industrial Revolution.
Since, handlooms or hand-woven cotton fabrics
were much costlier than machine made goods,
they could not withstand competition. Therefore,
British also discouraged growth of cotton textiles
in India.
Though a first successful cotton textile mill was
established in Mumbai in 1854, first company
was established by the Tata group. The company