Small Scale Industries
Small Scale Industries may sound small but actually plays a very important part in the overall growth of an economy. Small Scale Industries can be characterized by the unique feature of labor intensiveness. The total number of people employed in this industry has been calculated to be near about one crore and ninety lakhs in India, the main proponents of Small scale industries.
The importance of this industry increases manifold due to the immense employment generating potential. The countries which are characterized by acute unemployment problem especially put emphasis on the model of Small Scale Industries. It has been observed that India along with the countries in the Indian continent have gone long strides in this field.
Advantages associated with Small Scale Industries
- This industry is especially specialized in the production of consumer commodities.
- Small scale industries can be characterized with the special feature of adopting the labor intensive approach for commodity production. As these industries lack capital, so they utilize the labor power for the production of goods. The main advantage of such a process lies in the absorption of the surplus amount of labor in the economy who were not being absorbed by the large and capital intensive industries. This, in turn, helps the system in scaling down the extent of unemployment as well as poverty.
- It has been empirically proved all over the world thatSmall Scale Industries are adept in distributing national income in more efficient and equitable manner among the various participants in the process of good production than their medium or larger counterparts.
- Small Scale Industries help the economy in promoting balanced development of industries across all the regions of the economy.
- This industry helps the various sections of the society to hone their skills required for entrepreneurship.
- Small Scale Industries act as an essential medium for the efficient utilization of the skills as well as resources available locally.
Small Scale Industries enjoy a lot of help and encouragement from the government through protecting these industries from the direct competition of the large scale ones, provision of subsidies in the form of capital, lenient tax structure for this industry and many more
Small Scale Industries may sound small but actually plays a very important part in the overall growth of an economy. Small Scale Industries can be characterized by the unique feature of labor intensiveness. The total number of people employed in this industry has been calculated to be near about one crore and ninety lakhs in India, the main proponents of Small scale industries.
The importance of this industry increases manifold due to the immense employment generating potential. The countries which are characterized by acute unemployment problem especially put emphasis on the model of Small Scale Industries. It has been observed that India along with the countries in the Indian continent have gone long strides in this field.
Advantages associated with Small Scale Industries
- This industry is especially specialized in the production of consumer commodities.
- Small scale industries can be characterized with the special feature of adopting the labor intensive approach for commodity production. As these industries lack capital, so they utilize the labor power for the production of goods. The main advantage of such a process lies in the absorption of the surplus amount of labor in the economy who were not being absorbed by the large and capital intensive industries. This, in turn, helps the system in scaling down the extent of unemployment as well as poverty.
- It has been empirically proved all over the world thatSmall Scale Industries are adept in distributing national income in more efficient and equitable manner among the various participants in the process of good production than their medium or larger counterparts.
- Small Scale Industries help the economy in promoting balanced development of industries across all the regions of the economy.
- This industry helps the various sections of the society to hone their skills required for entrepreneurship.
- Small Scale Industries act as an essential medium for the efficient utilization of the skills as well as resources available locally.
Small Scale Industries enjoy a lot of help and encouragement from the government through protecting these industries from the direct competition of the large scale ones, provision of subsidies in the form of capital, lenient tax structure for this industry and many more
Production
The small-scale industries sector plays a vital role in the growth of the country. It contributes almost 40% of the gross industrial value added in the Indian economy.
It has been estimated that a million Rs. of investment in fixed assets in the small scale sector produces 4.62 million worth of goods or services with an approximate value addition of ten percentage points.
The small-scale sector has grown rapidly over the years. The growth rates during the various plan periods have been very impressive. The number of small-scale units has increased from an estimated 0.87 million units in the year 1980-81 to over 3 million in the year 2000.
When the performance of this sector is viewed against the growth in the manufacturing and the industry sector as a whole, it instills confidence in the resilience of the small-scale sector.
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Employment
SSI Sector in India creates largest employment opportunities for the Indian populace, next only to Agriculture. It has been estimated that 100,000 rupees of investment in fixed assets in the small-scale sector generates employment for four persons.
Generation of Employment - Industry Group-wise
Food products industry has ranked first in generating employment, providing employment to 0.48 million persons (13.1%). The next two industry groups were Non-metallic mineral products with employment of 0.45 million persons (12.2%) and Metal products with 0.37 million persons (10.2%).
In Chemicals & chemical products, Machinery parts except Electrical parts, Wood products, Basic Metal Industries, Paper products & printing, Hosiery & garments, Repair services and Rubber & plastic products, the contribution ranged from 9% to 5%, the total contribution by these eight industry groups being 49%.
In all other industries the contribution was less than 5%.
Per unit employment
Per unit employment was the highest (20) in units engaged in beverages, tobacco & tobacco products mainly due to the high employment potential of this industry particularly in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Assam and Tamil Nadu.
Next came Cotton textile products (17), Non-metallic mineral products (14.1), Basic metal industries (13.6) and Electrical machinery and parts (11.2.) The lowest figure of 2.4 was in Repair services line.
Per unit employment was the highest (10) in metropolitan areas and lowest (5) in rural areas.
However, in Chemicals & chemical products, Non-metallic mineral products and Basic metal industries per unit employment was higher in rural areas as compared to metropolitan areas/urban areas.
In urban areas highest employment per unit was in Beverages, tobacco products (31 persons) followed by Cotton textile products (18), Basic metal industries (13) and Non-metallic mineral products (12).
Location-wise Employment Distribution - Rural
Non-metallic products contributed 22.7% to employment generated in rural areas. Food Products accounted for 21.1%, Wood Products and Chemicals and chemical products shared between them 17.5%.
Urban
As for urban areas, Food Products and Metal Products almost equally shared 22.8% of employment. Machinery parts except electrical, Non-metallic mineral products, and Chemicals & chemical products between them accounted for 26.2% of employment.
In metropolitan areas the leading industries were Metal products, Machinery and parts except electrical and Paper products & printing (total share being 33.6%).
State-wise Employment Distribution
Tamil Nadu (14.5%) made the maximum contribution to employment.
This was followed by Maharashtra (9.7%), Uttar Pradesh (9.5%) and West Bengal (8.5%) the total share being 27.7%.
Gujarat (7.6%), Andhra Pradesh (7.5%), Karnataka (6.7%) and Punjab (5.6%) together accounted for another 27.4%.
Per unit employment was high - 17, 16 and 14 respectively - in Nagaland, Sikkim and Dadra & Nagar Haveli.
It was 12 in Maharashtra, Tripura and Delhi.
Madhya Pradesh had the lowest figure of 2. In all other cases it was around the average of 6.
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Export
SSI Sector plays a major role in India's present export performance. 45%-50% of the Indian Exports is contributed by SSI Sector. Direct exports from the SSI Sector account for nearly 35% of total exports. Besides direct exports, it is estimated that small-scale industrial units contribute around 15% to exports indirectly. This takes place through merchant exporters, trading houses and export houses. They may also be in the form of export orders from large units or the production of parts and components for use for finished exportable goods.
It would surprise many to know that non-traditional products account for more than 95% of the SSI exports.
The exports from SSI sector have been clocking excellent growth rates in this decade. It has been mostly fuelled by the performance of garments, leather and gems and jewellery units from this sector.
The product groups where the SSI sector dominates in exports, are sports goods, readymade garments, woollen garments and knitwear, plastic products, processed food and leather products.
The SSI sector is reorienting its export strategy towards the new trade regime being ushered in by the WTO.
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Major Export Markets
An evaluation study has been done by M/s A.C. Nielsen on behalf of Ministry of SSI. As per the findings and recommendations of the said study the major export markets identified having potential to enhance SSIs exports are US, EU and Japan. The potential items of SSIs have been categorised into three broad categories.
An evaluation study has been done by M/s A.C. Nielsen on behalf of Ministry of SSI. As per the findings and recommendations of the said study the major export markets identified having potential to enhance SSIs exports are US, EU and Japan. The potential items of SSIs have been categorised into three broad categories.
Export Destinations
The Export Destinations of SSI products have been identified for 16 product groups.
The Export Destinations of SSI products have been identified for 16 product groups.
Opportunity
The opportunities in the small-scale sector are enormous due to the following factors:
- Less Capital Intensive
- Extensive Promotion & Support by Government
- Reservation for Exclusive Manufacture by small scale sector
- Project Profiles
- Funding - Finance & Subsidies
- Machinery Procurement
- Raw Material Procurement
- Manpower Training
- Technical & Managerial skills
- Tooling & Testing support
- Reservation for Exclusive Purchase by Government
- Export Promotion
- Growth in demand in the domestic market size due to overall economic growth
- Increasing Export Potential for Indian products
- Growth in Requirements for ancillary units due to the increase in number of greenfield units coming up in the large scale sector. Small industry sector has performed exceedingly well and enabled our country to achieve a wide measure of industrial growth and diversification.
By its less capital intensive and high labour absorption nature, SSI sector has made significant contributions to employment generation and also to rural industrialisation. This sector is ideally suited to build on the strengths of our traditional skills and knowledge, by infusion of technologies, capital and innovative marketing practices. This is the opportune time to set up projects in the small-scale sector. It may be said that the outlook is positive, indeed promising, given some safeguards. This expectation is based on an essential feature of the Indian industry and the demand structures. The diversity in production systems and demand structures will ensure long term co-existence of many layers of demand for consumer products / technologies / processes. There will be flourishing and well grounded markets for the same product/process, differentiated by quality, value added and sophistication. This characteristic of the Indian economy will allow complementary existence for various diverse types of units. The promotional and protective policies of the Govt. have ensured the presence of this sector in an astonishing range of products, particularly in consumer goods. However, the bugbear of the sector has been the inadequacies in capital, technology and marketing. The process of liberalisation coupled with Government support will therefore, attract the infusion of just these things in the sector.
Small industry sector has performed exceedingly well and enabled our country to achieve a wide measure of industrial growth and diversification.
By its less capital intensive and high labour absorbtion nature, SSI sector has made significant contributions to employment generation and also to rural industrialisation. This sector is ideally suited to build on the strengths of our traditional skills and knowledge, by infusion of technologies, capital and innovative marketing practices. So this is the opportune time to set up projects in the small scale sector. It may be said that the outlook is positive, indeed promising, given some safeguards. This expectation is based on an essential feature of the Indian industry and the demand structures. The diversity in production systems and demand structures will ensure long term co-existence of many layers of demand for consumer products / technologies / processes. There will be flourishing and well grounded markets for the same product/process, differentiated by quality, value added and sophistication. This characteristic of the Indian economy will allow complementary existence for various diverse types of units. The promotional and protective policies of the Govt. have ensured the presence of this sector in an astonishing range of products, particularly in consumer goods. However, the bug bear of the sector has been the inadequacies in capital, technology and marketing. The process of liberalisation will therefore, attract the infusion of just these things in the sector.
Small industry sector has performed exceedingly well and enabled our country to achieve a wide measure of industrial growth and diversification.
By its less capital intensive and high labour absorbtion nature, SSI sector has made significant contributions to employment generation and also to rural industrialisation. This sector is ideally suited to build on the strengths of our traditional skills and knowledge, by infusion of technologies, capital and innovative marketing practices. So this is the opportune time to set up projects in the small scale sector. It may be said that the outlook is positive, indeed promising, given some safeguards. This expectation is based on an essential feature of the Indian industry and the demand structures. The diversity in production systems and demand structures will ensure long term co-existence of many layers of demand for consumer products / technologies / processes. There will be flourishing and well grounded markets for the same product/process, differentiated by quality, value added and sophistication. This characteristic of the Indian economy will allow complementary existence for various diverse types of units. The promotional and protective policies of the Govt. have ensured the presence of this sector in an astonishing range of products, particularly in consumer goods. However, the bug bear of the sector has been the inadequacies in capital, technology and marketing. The process of liberalisation will therefore, attract the infusion of just these things in the sector.
Nice Post.... Small Scale Industries also plays major role in the Growth of any Country. In India also there are many Small Scale Industries. They are the major contributor in the growth of Indian. GDP. There are in India Large Scale Industries like 100salts. www.100salts.com is a customer trade portal owned and operated by Nanoshel which operates as a U.S and India based global manufacturer and distributor of commodities and products.They are copper cathodes suppliers.
ReplyDeletethank you. Yes, Small scale industries are very important for the rural sector majorly for employment and self-dependence. Thanks for the info on 100salts :)
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