Question

Industries that obtain their raw materials from agriculture are called as ____________
A. Heavy industries
B. Agro-based industries
C. Large-scale industries
D. Light industries

Answer 1

Hint: The industries that obtain their raw materials from agricultural produce are consumer based industries. Textile, sugar, paper industries are some of the examples of this particular kind of industry.

Complete Answer:
Agro-based industries are the industries that obtain their raw materials from agriculture. Textiles, sugar, paper, vegetable oil are some of the examples of agro-based industries and agro-based industries are consumer based industries.
The International Standard Industrial Classification (ISIC) has classified the agro based industries into the following - food and beverages, tobacco products, paper and wood products, textiles footwear and apparel, lather products and rubber products.
In India around 54 percent of the population is still engaged in agriculture or agriculture allied activities. There is a need to promote the agro based industries in India because we are the world’s ${10}^{th}$ largest arable land, we have 20 agro-climatic regions and there are 15 major climates in India.
The largest industry in the organized sector is the textile industry and it occupies a unique position in the Indian economy because it contributes 14 percent to the industrial production, is a large employment generator and its foreign exchange earnings constitute about 24.6 percent.
Therefore the correct answer is option, ‘B. Agro-based industries’.

Note: The Index of Eight Core Industries (ICI) is released by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade. According to ICI the eight core industries are - coal, natural gas, crude oil, refinery products (petrol and diesel), fertilisers, steel, cement and electricity.