Scenario of Chemical Industries
in West Bengal
West Bengal is strategically located
and is the gateway to Eastern Inia. It has an already developed industrial
zone in Calcutta, Howrah, Hooghly, North and South 24-parganas, Durgapur,
Asansol, Haldia, Kharagpur, Kalyani and Siliguri. The raw materials available
are coal, iron and steel, agrowaste, marine products, hide and skins etc.
Minerals like dolomite, apatite, limestone, lead, zinc ores, wolframite
and granite are available in good quantity of water, a virgin country side
sufficient and fast modernizing agricultural base, dedicated skilled workforce
and congenial industrial climate are the positive aspect of the state.
A relatively developed road, rail, airport and port network are distinct
advantages of stable and adequate power supply.
Labour Situaton
The labour situation West Bengal
is stable , healthy and positive. We have a large skilled workforce. We
have an effective intervention mechanism to resolve labour dispute.
Business Sectors are Specially
Favourable for Investors ?
Availability of natural and human
resources, a vast improved power scenario, skilled workforce with aptitude
to absorb modern technology, comparatively less costly wage structure and
a good social infrastructure are the features which provide an ideal platform
for accelerated growth in the industrial sector. The thrust areas, as identigied
by the state Government are :-
-
Petrochemicals and Downstream Industries
-
Electronics and Software
-
Engineering and Machinery units
-
Primary, Secondary and Tertiary sector
industries in iron and steel
-
Textiles including cotton yarn, blended
yarn and viscose staple fibre along with Hosiery, Knitwear and Garment
units
-
Processing of Leather and Manufacture
of high value Leather products
-
Shrimp culture, Food processing and
Vegetable processing
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Expansion of areas under tea, cinchona
and medical plants. Introduction of rubber and palm oil plantations
-
Sericulture and silk products
-
Floriculture and Tissue culture
-
Manufacture of basic drugs and pharmaceuticals.
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Infrastructure projects like construction
of mega growth centres, Industrial parks, Trade centres etc
-
Tourism in sub-Himalayan regions and
the estuarine areas of sundarbans etc.
The state Government is committed to
extend all necessary help to new projects. Proposals for joint sector,
assisted sector and direct investment are receiving and will continue to
receive topmost priority of the administration.
History of Chemical Industry
in West Bengal
There was a steady growth upto the
mid-sixties, but the decline started there after due to various factors.
However, an uptrend has been noticeable in the recent years. This would
be evident if one takes an overview, cogmentwise of the scenario of the
chemical industry in the state.
Coal Chemicals
Development and production of coal
chemicals in West Bengal could be traced back to the days of East India
Company . It was in 1774 that East India Company started the first colleiry
in India at Ranigunj, West Bengal. However, coal chemicals and crude coal
tar (for downstream distillation) became available here only in 1930s,
mainly from coke ovens of TISCO and IISCO. Subsequently, some crude coal
tar distillation units for downstream process and production of a number
of coal chemicals came up here. The efforts received a further stimulus
with the implementation, in the fifties, of Durgapur Projects Limited (DPL)
in the state sector . The present availability of crude tar in this
region for processing is likely to increase with the full implementation
of Dankuni Coal Complex, the modernistion of IISCO and DSP and the reorientation
of DPL. In the meantime, the demand – supply profile of crude tar in the
country as a whole has undergone a sea change . This spurt in demand for
crude tar is due to the growth of the coal chemical industries. The demand
growth and the emerging global trade pattern have ushered in a great opportunity
to this particular industrial segment. Reportedly, a number of companies
in the developed countries have evinced interest in large-scale investment
for setting up units here . Factors favouring such investment are:
Global demand rise, pollution hazards
of coal chemical industries and abundance of coal in India suitable for
low temperature carbonisation.
Acrylic Fibre-based Downstream
Units
Due to an increasing pressure on
land and the global awareness on environment and ecology, the availability
of natural fibres like cotton and viscose rayon is likely to reduce in
future. Evidently, both acrylic and polyester fibres are emerging as a
major blend for the manufacture of dress materials. Few years ago the entire
quantity of dyed acrylic hand Knitting yarn and dyed acrylic hosiery goods
comes from Punjab. Obviously, acrylic fibre spinning an dyeing facilities
could not be developed due to the absence of any acrylic fibre manufacturing
units in this region. Now consolidated Fibres and Chemicals Limited’s Plant
at Haldia cater to these needs. The State Government Departments and its
agencies connected with the development of industries are very keen to
assist interested entrepreneurs setting up of these units in the state.
Mineral Based Chemicals
Eastern India is endowed with large
reserves of various minerals which can contribute to the industrial development
of this region. The mineral related to chemical process industries are
limestone, ilmenniterutile, pyrites, rock phosphate and manganese
ore.
Agro Based Chemicals
In predominantly agrobased economy
of our country, the potential of various agrobased chemicals is quite natural.
But unfortunately, the vast agricultural/ forest reserves have not been
properly tapped so far, although ambitious plans are under way. Pulp and
Paper industry is one of the major agro based industries, which has a very
good growth potential. Vanaspati, Vegetable Oil, Sugar and alcohol are
other major agro-based chemicals which need special attention for development
in the eastern region as they are always in short supply and their demand
increases progressively owing to the increasing population.
Petrochemical Industry
The petrochemical industry has become
one of the most buoyant sectors of the economy and because of the versatility
and easy processability of its products, it has poised to be an important
tool for industrial growth which is reflected in the large expansion of
the plastic processing units. The demand of plastic product continues to
outstrip the indigenous availability and the scope of growth in this sector
particularly in Eastern India is thus self evident. The advent of Haldia
Petrochemicals Limited (HPL) shall reduce import dependency of these products
and lead to substantial foreign exchange savings. Above all, it will cause
considerable investment in the downstream industries that will crop up
to consume the HPL products and subsequently generate large employment
potential.
Paint and Allied Industries
West Bengal is the birth place of
the organized sector of Paint Industry in the country. These units are
performing well and some of them is earning foreign exchange. The paint
industry needs various types of raw materials and Packaging, Viz, Paper,
Cardboard, Plastics and metal containers.
Leather Chemicals
West Bengal has been functioning
as a vast raw material resource base for the leather industry in the form
of hides and skins. However, Indian leather export has undergone a transition
from the export of raw hides and skins in the fifties to value added finished
leather in the nineties. In the context, leather processing industries
in the state needed a strong structural support and proposal was mooted
for setting up an eco-friendly complex near Calcutta with modern technical
and training facilities. In this full scale integrated leather complex,
facilities for leather-finishing, computer-aided design centers, modern
training center for upgradation are also being provided. This mega complex
will also have manufacturing units to produce footwear uppers, finished
footwears, leather goods and garments to catering to the expanding domestic
and export markets. The availability of a wide range of cost effective
leather chemicals with consistent quality is crucial for the success of
such a mega complex. Entrepreneurs can set up manufacturing units in the
mega complex for both tanning chemicals and posttanning chemical auxiliaries.
Lastly, I like to mention the message
of our Chief Minister Shri Jyoti Basu to all the foreign investors - `please
do visit us and share and share and exist in the process of economic resurgence
of West Bengal. |