Economy of Gujarat

Economy of Gujarat

Gujarat is the most industrialized states in India. It attracts the cream of domestic and multinational investment in the leading sectors of the economy. The important minerals produced into the state are agate, bauxite, dolomite, fireclay, fluorite, fuller's earth, kaolin, lignite, limestone, chalk, calcareous sea sand, perlite, petroleum and natural gas, and silica sand.

The state is the main producer of tobacco, cotton, and groundnut in the country. Gujarat also contributes inputs to industries like textiles, oil and soap. Agriculture in Gujarat forms a vital sector of the state's economy. It has to provide the required food grains for the state's population and raw materials for most of the agro-based industries. Unsuitable climatic conditions in some parts and rocky terrain with thin or no soils in others, have limited the area suitable for cultivation. The difficulty of drainage in coastal areas and in the two Ranns has made a large part of the state agriculturally unproductive. The state produces a large variety of crops and its cropping pattern reflects the spatial variations in climate and topography. Groundnut (highest production in the country), cotton, Tobacco (second highest production in the country), isabgul, cumin sugarcane, Jawar, Bajra, Rice, Wheat, Pulses, Tur and Gram are the important crops of Gujarat. Another cash crop, which has recently entered the field though in a few selected localities, is banana. Plenty of mangoes for export as well as home consumption are part of cash crops.