Question

Explain any three factors which were responsible for the concentration of the cotton textile industry in Maharashtra?

Answer 1

Hint: Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fibre that forms in a boll, or protective shell, around the seeds of Gossypium cotton plants in the Malvaceae family of mallows. Typically, the fibre is spun into yarn or thread and used to create a soft, breathable textile.

Complete answer:
Maharashtra is a state in India's western peninsula that covers a large portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is India's second-most populated state and the world's third-most populous country subdivision.

Maharashtra outperforms all other states in terms of cotton textile development. It manufactures 39.38 percent mill cloth and 10.79 percent Indian yarn. In Maharashtra, this industry employs about three lakh people. Mumbai is India's most populous city, with 63 mills out of Maharashtra's total of 122.

Reasons for the concentration of the cotton textile industry in Maharashtra are:
1) Raw cotton is easily available, this facilitates the process of production and prevents time lag.
2) There are ready markets where cotton clothes can be easily sold.
3) Access to well-developed transit facilitates easy transportation of raw materials and finished goods.
4) Low-cost skilled and unskilled labour in abundance, which lowers the cost of production.
5) A humid climate that is conducive to the cotton business as cotton clothes are more in demand in these regions.

Note: Gujarat's cotton textile sector is more well-known. Ahmedabad, Gujarat, has become a famous cotton textile industry centre known as the "Manchester of India" due to the abundant availability of raw materials and a humid climate for spinning and weaving.