Wool and Woollen Industry in India

The modern woollen textile industry was started with the establishment of Lal Imli at Kanpur in 1876. The second woollen textile mill was started in 1874 at Dhariwal. It is established as the Egerton Woollen Mills in 1874 and started operations by 1880. The largest producer of woollen textile in India is Punjab. Maharashtra is the 2nd largest producer. The main wool producing states are Rajasthan, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Haryana. The four main cities for the manufacture of woollen or the woollen textile industry in India are Srinagar, Dhariwal, Amritsar and Ludhiana. Ludhiana is called as the Manchester of India. It manufactures 90% of entire woollens produced in the country. Tirupur got the worldwide appreciation as the top supply of hosiery, weaved garments, casual wear and sportswear.

Major Welfare Schemes for Woollen Industry in India

The Schemes are being administered in the major wool producing States by the Central Wool Development Board (CWDB) through respective State Government Organizations / NGOs, Societies, Cooperatives, etc. The major schemes are,

1. Integrated Wool Development Programme (IWDP)

2. Wool Marketing Scheme (WMS)

3. Wool Processing Scheme

4. Sheep & Wool Improvement Scheme (SWIS)

5. Sheep Breeders Insurance Scheme

6. Sheep Insurance Scheme