Advantages and Factors of Development

(i) Raw material: Area around this region produces large amount of cotton. Mineral oil and natural gas for petrochemical industries are also locally available.

(ii) Cheap land: Land is cheap and abundant here in comparison to Mumbai.

(iii) Labour: This region has an old tradition of cloth weaving. Therefore, skilled cheap labour for cotton textile industry is easily available.

(iv) Transport: Industrial centres of this region are connected with each other and other cities with railways and roads. There are pipelines for transport of gas and oil. [t has given impetus to the development of petrochemical industries.

(v) Capital: Ahmadabad and Vadodara are cities of rich people. Therefore capital for industry is easily available.

(vi) Port Facilities: This region is served by the new port of Kandla. This port is relatively closer to Europe, Africa and Central Asia.

Important Industries: Cotton textile is the chief industry of this region. Chemical, drugs and pharmaceuticals, woollen and silk textiles, paper, milk products, match and machinery for textile industries are the other important industries. India's famous Amul Milk Industry is in this region. For the past some years, petrochemical industry using mineral oil and natural gas has been making rapid progress.

Chief Industrial Centres: Ahmadabad, Vadodara, Koyali, Bharuch, Surat, Anand, Kheda, Gandhar, etc. are the chief industrial centres.