One can source almost everything
from major cities like Delhi or Mumbai. However, in
most cases, these products reach cities from hinterland
through layers of middlemen, each of whom add a transaction
cost. It is true that middlemen may also add value in
terms of un-interrupted supply, consistent quality,
low transport cost etc. However, you need to balance
this with cost effectiveness of sourcing directly from
producer. There is no omnibus solution - one should
check various alternatives and take a decision that
provides better sourcing cost.
There are geographical pockets
in India that have traditionally excelled in producing
low cost products. Sourcing from such pockets may significantly
reduce your sourcing cost. Following is a list of few
such pockets
Glass Bangles
/ Glassware
Firozabad, also called
the glass capital of India, is a small town in Uttar
Pradesh, 40 km from Agra. This pocket accounts for
roughly 70% of the total glass production in the small-scale
sector. There is a large agglomeration of small-scale
units engaged in the manufacture of hollow wares,
decorative items, glass beads, bulbs, headlight covers,
bangles, etc.
Glass Beads
Purdalpur, a village near
Agra, Uttar Pradesh for North India and Papanaidupet,
a village in Andhra Pradesh for South India.
Home Furnishing
Products
Handloom and power looms
are mainly used to manufacture various home furnishing
products like table mats, durries, cushion covers
etc. Though these products are manufactured in many
states all over India (Maharashtra, Gujarat, Delhi,
Tamil Nadu , West Bengal, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh,
and Karnataka) - two geographical pockets have excelled
in production and export of home furnishing products:
Karur in Tamilnadu and Panipat in Haryana
Metal Handicraft
Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh,
is renowned for brass work and has carved a niche
for itself in the handicraft industry. It is believed
that the brassware industry originated from Moradabad
and spread to the rest of the country. Other geographical
pockets of excellence in metal handicraft are Sambhal,
Aligarh, Jodhpur, Jaipur, Delhi, Thanjavur, Jagadhari
etc.
Wooden Handicraft
Saharanpur, in Uttar Pradesh,
is famous for carved wooden handicraft and home of
carving in hard sheesham, vice-leaf pattern. The range
of designs include floral, geometric and figurative
decoration, in addition to the traditional anguri
and takai carvings, jali (fretted ornamentation),
brass and copper and ivory inlay work. Some of the
major products from Saharanpur are boxes, furnitures,
candle stands, small utility items and other home
decor items. Apart from Saharanpur, other pockets
of excellence are Nagina, Hoshiarpur, Srinagar, Amritsar,
Jaipur, Jodhpur, Bangalore, Mysore, Berhampur etc.
Hand printed
textiles and scarves
Amroha, Jodhpur, Jaipur,
Farrukhabad, Bagru and Sanganer
Knitted
Fabrics, T-Shirts, Hosiery
Tirupur in Tamilnadu is
the largest and best known centre of excellence in
knitted fabrics and garments. Other important centre
is Punjab and Gujarat
Marble &
soft stonecraft
Agra, Tamil Nadu, Baster
and Jodhpur
Papier Mache
crafts
Kashmir, Jaipur Tamil Nadu
and Andhra Pradesh
Terracota
Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and
Baster
Zari & zari
goods
Surat, Agra, Varanasi &
Amritsar
Imitation
jewellery
Delhi, Moradabad, Sambhal,
Jaipur and Kohima
Wools and
Woolens
The woolen industry in
the country is small in size and widely scattered.
It is mostly located in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan,
U.P., Maharashtra and Gujarat. 40% of the woolen units
are located in Punjab, 27% in Haryana, 10% in Rajasthan,
while the rest of the states account for the remaining
23% of the units.
Jute and
Coir
Jute industry is highly
concentrated with 59 Jute Mills (out of total 76 in
the country) located in West Bengal. Kolkata and Howrah
occupy a prominent place for jute and jute products.
Kerala in the south is the main centre for coir and
coir products.
There are many other centres
of excellence in India other than those listed above.
Please do your homework to identify centres of excellence
near your place.
Dr. Amit K Chatterjee
