BANKING TRADE AND COMMERCE

EXPORTS

The composition of exports has changed substantially during the last five decades. This is due to the change in the structure and variety of production in the district itself. About exports it is stated[ Amravati District Gazetteer (1911), p. 249.] " that cotton (ginned and pressed) is an overwhelmingly important commodity of export, accounting in one form or other for three quarters of the total value. The export of manufactured cotton was practically confined to the mills at Badnera, the work of local Koshtis and other weavers seldom spreading much beyond their own neighbourhood. Besides cotton the other exports were cotton-seed, oil-cake, hay and grass, jowar, hides and skins, other oil-seeds, bones and other articles. " Now, oranges and groundnut oil also form important items of the exports of this district, since they are grown in plenty here.

Cotton.

Amravati is a large centre for cotton trade where cotton is  assembled from the adjoining districts as well. In 1960-61, 1.212,540 bales of cotton were assembled at Amravati from the district itself and from the various other districts, viz., Yeotmal. Nagpur, Chanda, Nemar, Akola, Buldhana, Wardha, Chind-wada and Hoshangabad. Of these, about 7,000 bales were used by the local mills. The rest was sent to places all over the country and mainly to the textile centres of Bombay, Sholapur, Madras and Ahmedabad.

Cotton-Seed.

Amravati district has a number of ginning and pressing factories at various places, viz., Amravati, Dhamangaon, Warud, Anjangaon Surji, Achalpur, Banosa, Chandur Railway, Pathrot and Karanjagaon. Cotton-seed comes as a bye-product of the cotton ginning factories. Cotton-seed, being a valuable cattle feed and its oil being useful in the preparation of medicines, is in great demand in Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Saurashtra.

Oil and oil cake.

Amravati district has a large production of groundnut, amounting to about 8.016 tons (8.144.256 m. tons) annually. The oil-crushing factories in the district are located at Dhaman-gaon. Badnera. Chandur Railway. Amravati and Achalpur. Oil in the district is mostly exported to Jabalpur. The vegetable ghee-factory at Badnera serves the needs of the district and the surrounding area. Oil-cake, a bye-product in oil mills, is exported to United Kingdom, where it is in good demand. There are dal mills at Amravati, Badnera and Dbamangaon. Besides, pulses, mainly tur and mung. from the district and the adjoining areas are exported to Bombay, Calcutta and Madras.

Jowar. Other Products.

Jowar is exported to other districts of the State and to Gujarat.

During and after the World War II a number of factories came up in the vicinity of Amravati. Some of them are engaged in the manufacture of agricultural implements, aluminium and brass-ware, iron and steel goods, spare parts of machinery and so on. They are sure to enter the export schedule of the district in due course of time.

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