Cotton Textile Industry: the textile industry can be divided on the basis of raw materials used in them. Fibres are the raw material of textile industry. Fibres can be natural or man-made. Natural fibers are obtained from wool, silk, cotton, linen and jute. Manmade fibres include nylon, polyester, acrylic and rayon.

The cotton textile industry is one of the oldest industries in the world. Till the industrial revolution in the 18th century, cotton cloth was made using hand spinning techniques (wheels) and looms. In 18th century power looms facilitated the development of cotton textile industry, first in Britain and later in other parts of the world. India has a glorious tradition of producing excellent quality cotton textiles. Before the British rule, Indian, hand spun and hand woven cloth already had a wide market. The Muslins of Dhaka, chintzes of Masulipatnam, Calicos of Calicut and gold- wrought cotton of Burhanpur, Surat and Vadodara were known worldwide for their quality and design. The first successful mechanized textile mill was established in Mumbai in 1854. The warm, moist climate, a port for importing machinery, availability of raw material and skilled labour resulted in rapid expansion of the industry in the region.

Early Phase of Cotton Textile Industry in IndiaIn the early years, the cotton textile industry was Concentrated in the cotton growing belt of Maharashtra and Gujarat because of availability of raw cotton, a good market,transport includ.ng accessible port facilities,casily available labour, moist climate, etc. In present time, spinhing industry continues to be centralised in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu. Weaving industry is highly scattered tor incorpcrating traditional skillsnd designs of weaving in cotton, silk, zari, embroidery, etc.

Employment Generation through Cotton MillsThis industry provides livelihood to farmers, cotton boll pluckers and workers engaged in ginning, spinning, weaving, dyeing,designing, packaging, tailoring and sewing. By creating demands for additional materials, it supports chemicals and dye industries, mill stores, packaging materials industry and engincering works. The handspun khadi provides large scale employment to weavers and is important as a cottage industry.

India as a Cotton Exporter: India exports yarn to Japan as well as to other Countries like France, USA, UK, Russia, European countries, Nepal, Singapore, Sri Lanka and African countries. It has the second largest installed capacity of spindles (43.13 million) in the world in 2011-12 next to China. Its share is 25% in the world trade of cotton yarn. But, our trade in garments isonly 4% of the world's total.NÆ¡w our country has spinning mills that can compete at global level. There are some large and modern factories in these segments, but most of the production is in fragmented small units, which cater to the local market. This mismatch between spinning and weaving reSults in many of our apparel/garment manufactures importing fabric while spinners export cotton yarrn.

Challenges for Cotton Textiles Industry: Cotton Industries have made significant increase in the production of good quality long staple cotton (356 lakh bales of 170 kg each during 2011-12), but the need to import is still there because of high demand. The industry suffers from problems like outdated machinery (leading to low productivity), irregular power supply and stuff competition from the synthetic fibre industry.

Sample Questions

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Question : 1

To which of the following countries does India export cotton yarn?
A. Peru	B. Spain	C. Japan	D. China
Right Option : D
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Question : 2

The first modern cotton textile mill was established on Mumbai in _________ .
A. 1850	B. 1852	C. 1854	D. 1856
Right Option : C
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Question : 3

Which one of the following statement is correct?
A. Handloom textile industry is labour intensive industry.		B. Manufacturing is known as tertiary activity.
C. Most of the Industries use raw materials obtained from the sea.		D. Iron and steel Industry is known as Sunrise Industry
Right Option : A
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