Maharashtra

The state of Maharashtra is the largest producer of cotton goods. The locational factors in the high concentration of cotton mills in the state of Maharashtra are:

(i) Availability of raw material:'The state of Maharashtra is one of the leading producers of cotton.

(ii) Climate.'The city of Mumbai where most of cotton mills are located has a mild climate with enough moisture in the air; so the thread does not break frequently.

(iii) Mumbai is close to Egypt, Sudan, and east African countries from where the long staple cotton is imported for the production of good quality of cloth.

(iv) Labour: Cheap skilled labour is available in the state.

(v) Electricity: Cheap electricity is available and there is not much power breakdown in the state.

(vi) Market: There is a large market of cotton products, both in India and abroad.

Fig. 11.2 India—Cotton Textiles Production

(vii) Seaport: The seaport of Mumbai is well connected by rails and highways.

(viii) Investment: There is no dearth of money investment in this industry.

(ix) Entrepreneurs: Mumbai being the commercial capital of the country enjoys the presence of entrepreneurs who are always willing to invest in this industry.

(x) Early Start. 'Yhe state of Maharashtra and the city of Mumbai got the advantage of an early start in cotton textile industry.

With 122 cotton textile mills in Maharashtra, this industry contributes about 39 per cent of the total cloth production of the country. The city of Mumbai with 63 cotton mills is the largest producer of cotton in the country. The bulk production is in the form of light textured cloth, long cloth, shirting, domestics, sheets, dhotis, and coloured clothes. Due to the high concentration of cotton mills Mumbai is called the ‘Cottonopolis of India’.

In Maharashtra, Sholapur is the second largest producer of cotton goods. It lies in the cotton growing area of south Maharashtra. Pune, Nagpur,Jalgaon, Akola, Sangli, Miraj, Kolhapur, Kalyan, and Thane are the other important cotton goods producing centres (Fig. 11.3).