INDUSTRIES

LARGE AND SMALL SCALE INDUSTRIES

Engineering Industry

Bhir district has very few engineering concerns. There are two State Transport workshops, one at Bhir and the other at Parali which carry out the maintenance and repairs of the State Transport vehicles. These workshops provide employment to about 25 persons.

Electricity Generation

Till 1956, there was no electricity generation unit in Bhir district. The supply of adequate power is absolutely necessary for well guided industrial development. The first thermal station was installed in 1956 at Parali with a capacity of 130 kw., and a power line of 4.023 km. (2½ miles) was erected. An electricity generation unit was erected at Bhir in 1958 with a power generation capacity of 150 kw. This was followed by generating units at Ambejogai, Manjlegaon, Ashti, Patoda and Renapur. At Patoda and Renapur the units are provided by the grampanchayats. At present there are seven electricity generation units in the district. It is proposed to link the generation units in this district to the Khaparkheda-Paras-Bhusawal grid system.

Of the seven generation units in the district, three are under the jurisdiction of the Maharashtra State Electricity Board. The details about these are given below: —

Oil Industry

As the district has a considerable area under the oilseed crops like groundnut, safflower and linseed, oil-industry occupies an important place in its economy. Of the total cropped area of 789,665 hectares (19,49,691 acres) in Bhir district the oilseeds cover 127,655 hectares (3,15,198 acres), i.e., more than 16 per cent of the total cropped area. In terms of non-food crops, it occupies nearly 65 per cent of the area, the total non-food crop area being 192,383.910 hectares (4,75,022 acres). In 1962 more than 600 persons were employed in this industry as compared to 10 in 1958-59. In 1962 there were 20 oil mills of which 8 mills were engaged in both ginning and oil extraction while one undertook both flour milling and oil extraction. Of the oil mills 12 establishments were located in Parali, 3 in Bhir, 3 in Ambejogai and one each in Chausala and Naya Mohalla. Of the 20 mills, eleven were registered under the Factories Act.

Raw material.—The main raw material required is oilseeds like groundnut, linseed (jawas), safflower (karadi), which are available locally. Parali, Ambejogai, Bhir, Latur and Jalna are the main centres for the supply of this raw material required for these mills.

Fuel and Machinery.—The fuel used is husk, wood, coal, crude oil and electricity. The machinery consists of expeller, decorticator, boiler and filter. The expeller is available in small or big size. The small-sized expeller, called the baby expeller, costs about Rs. 5,000 to Rs. 6,000. Its productive capacity is about 18.66 to 22.39 q. (50 to 60 maunds) of oil for a shift of 8 hours. The small-sized boiler called baby boiler is designed to generate steam and costs about Rs. 1.500.

Process of oil extraction.—Water is sprinkled on the heap groundnut to make the nuts sufficiently wet. They are then poured into the decorticator where the seeds are separated from the husk. The seeds are then weighed and taken to the expeller where they are subjected to the steam generated in the boiler and are powdered and crushed to get oil. The proportion of oil extracted is about 66 per cent. The remnant material is put into the expeller to obtain oil-cake. Finally the oil is filtered.

Marketing.—The produce is sold locally as well as throughout the district. The oil is also sent to Bombay, Nagpur, Akola, etc. The oil-cake is generally demanded in the markets at Bhir Parali, Ambejogai, etc.

Employment.—The average number of workers employed per establishment was 33. An unskilled worker was paid daily between Rs. 1.25 and Rs. 1.50. The workers such as fitters, firemen, oilmen, boiler attendants, supervisors earned a monthly wage ranging between Rs. 50 and Rs. 150.

In 8 mills for which information was available, 320 workers were employed. The estimated value of the product was Rs. 22,95,393. They paid as wages an amount of Rs. 98,660 in 1962. The total investment in these factories was Rs. 16,40,835, including both fixed and working capital. They consumed fuel worth Rs. 1,42,869 in 1962.

Finance and Difficulties.—Most of the mill-owners had invested their own capital or capital secured from private sources. The credit facilities were not easily available for this industry. Some banks (commercial) loaned cash on credit, hypothecation, mortgage, etc., to serve as their working capital. But long term credit was the main problem of the industry. Supply of cheap electricity, transport and storage facilities are key problems of the industry and the expansion of industry particularly depends on these factors.

Cotton Ginning and Pressing

Though the cotton ginning and pressing industry in the district was started in 1912, most of the factories were established during the last two or three decades. Prior to that cotton was either ginned by the hand process or sent to the nearest centres for ginning.

There are 15 small-scale ginning and pressing factories in the district. Of these, seven factories, registered under the factories act, employ 156 workers. The industry is seasonal but works to full capacity between the months of November and April. Out of 15 factories, some factories undertake oilseed crushing and saw milling during off season. Some of them are located at Parali Vaijanath, Bhir, Georai and Ambejogai.

Tools and equipment.—Tools and equipment consist of steam or oil engines, boilers, single or double roller gins, cotton operators, drilling machines and high or low pressure presses. Besides, groundnut decorticators and expellers for crushing oilseeds and saw mills for wood-cutting were attached to some factories.

Fuel.—The factories consume electric power, diesel-oil, grounder and safflower husk, coal and wood as fuel.

Process.—These factories are mainly engaged in cotton ginning and pressing. Ginning operations comprise a number of stages. Kapasi which in its raw state contains dust, pieces of stems of cotton plant, etc., is first separated from all the impurities. Then the cleaned cotton is ginned by single or double roller gins and cotton operators. After the separation of cotton lint from seeds, it is taken to the high or low pressure presses where cotton is pressed by the hoops (steel strips) in bales of rectangular size. The bales are then packed and sent to the textile mills.

Raw material and market.—As a rule these factories do not purchase the cotton they require for ginning and pressing. The local merchants as well as those from Ambejogai and Nanded send their cotton crop to these factories for processing, and then the finished product is exported to Nagpur, Bombay, Akola, Latur and other places.

Employment.—The workers employed are coolies, cotton carriers and pickers who are mostly unskilled. The number of workers varies with each factory, some factories employing 15, while some as many as 120. The rate of daily wages paid to the unskilled worker is Rs. 1.75 for men and Re. 1 for women. For others, wages depend on the kind of work. A skilled worker is generally paid between Rs. 100 and Rs. 250 per month. The engineer, the driver and the manager belong to the skilled category.
Finance.—Most of the factory owners have invested either their own capital or secured it from private sources. The total capital requirement depends on the size of the plant, and nature of the machinery. However, the amount of capital invested in these factories ranges between Rs. 40,000 and Rs. 3 lakhs. Credit facility for a portion of the working capital is provided for by the commercial banks.

Adequate supply of raw material, finance, power and transportation facilities were some of the major impediments that stood in the way of the development of the industry.

Copper and Brass Industry

This industry is nearly two centuries old. It was of a domestic type and worked to the requirements of the customers. Like other industries it also suffered set-backs, and today it is living a precarious existence. The industry is mostly localised in Amalner and Shirur in Patoda tahsil, and engages about 150 labourers.

Scrap metal which is used as raw material is obtained from Bhir, Kaij, Parali, Jalna, Nagar and Pathardi. The finished brass and copper wares are jewel caskets, ink-stands, spoons, boxes, etc. Besides, images, religious emblems, hand lamps are also made. Ordinary pots and cups, graceful and finely cut brass screens, which are in demand could be regarded as the speciality. There is one society of artisans which along with four other private proprietors produces wares weighing about 933.10 to 1119.72 q. (2500 to 3000 bengali maunds). New metal sheets are also imported from Poona and Bombay for the manufacture of utensils. The price of the scrap is Rs. 6 per kilo and that of the new metal sheet Rs. 7 per kilo. The usual practice is to exchange scrap for finished product. The labour charges vary from Rs. 1.60 to Rs. 3 per kilo depending upon the skill of the artisan. The scrap metal is melted in kiln and hammered to the size of sheets. The metal sheets are used for making vessels of various sizes and designs. The tools and equipment comprise a pair of tongs, hammers and anvil.

The artisans have organised themselves into co-operatives which receive financial assistance from the co-operative department. The brass industrial co-operative society which was registered in 1953 at Amalner had a membership of 37 in 1955. The membership rose to 96 by 1963. The total paidup captial of the society was Rs. 3,115 in 1963. The society received a loan Rs. 15,000 from the Bhir District Central Co-operative Bank and a similar amount from the then Government of Hyderabad in 1955. The Government of India gave a grant of Rs. 400 towards the purchase of plot, Rs. 1,800 tor the proposed building and donated machinery worth Rs. 12,390. The society also received a subsidy of Rs. 10,000 from the then District Local Board. Another co-operative society has also been formed at Shirur in 1960. The society received a loan of Rs. 5,000 in 1960 from Maharashtra government.

Saw Milling

There are a number of saw mills at Parali, Bhir and Ambejogai. Most of them are not registered under the Factories Act. They have considerable capital and their outturn is also sizeable. The concerns are all power worked.

This processing industry works for 8 to 9 months in a year. The requirement of the industry is mainly timber. Teak, sesam, khair and babhul wood is used in carpentry, furniture making and manufacture of packing cases. Besides the local supply, timber is also imported from Kinwat in Nanded district. Circular saw and band-saw machines, groove cutting machine, chakkis, bullers and grinders constitute the tools and equipment of these concerns. Some units use electric motors. The total investment in plant and machinery of an average unit amounts to Rs. 5,000 to Rs. 7,000, approximately.

The units cut wooden slabs of timber according to the size ordered, especially in house building and also in the preparation of packing cases. The market is mainly local, confined to the district.

The number of workers in different units varies between 4 and 8 and a worker is paid from Rs. 2 to Rs. 3 per day as wages.

One concern in Parali combined furniture making with saw milling.

Due to the location of the district in the interior of the State, there is little scope for the development of fisheries except the inland fisheries which could be developed along the rivers. However, the construction of new dams has widened the scope for the development of fisheries industry in the district. The 1961 census has recorded 406 persons engaged in fishing as principal workers, of whom 329 are males and 77 females.

The small rivers, viz., Sindhphana, Bendsura, Kuntaka, Wan, Manjra, Ekdara, Govardhan, Balura and Gulathi, dry up during the summer. Some of the government tanks in charge of local bodies in Bhir, Ashti and Ambejogai tahsils which are being stocked with major carps imported from Calcutta augment the fish supply and provide employment to the local fishermen. The construction of four projects, viz., Bendsura in Bhir tahsil, and Rooti, Talwar and Kambli in Ashti tahsil, and six other irrigation projects which are in progress would help development of fisheries in the district.

Tools and Equipment.—Cast nets (phekjal), drag nets, drift nets and hooks and lines are the equipment of a fisherman. Drift nets are locally known as kandala-khavari, malegani, pothani, etc. The drag nets are known as paywadi, golapatti (chatta), pandy and udan.

Hook and Lines.—This method is generally employed during the rainy season. In davan type about 50 to 100 hooks are attached to the line and small worms are used as bait. This is about 91.400 m. (50 fathoms) in length. Stones are tied to the distant end of the line to keep the hooks near bottom.

The scheme of stocking of inland waters with carp fry and the Bendsura project are the two schemes envisaged by the department for the development of fisheries in the district.

Development.—The latter scheme was taken up in 1955. It envisaged the construction of four tanks near Bendsura dam for stocking fish and for encouraging fisheries as an industry. Fishes of the species kaita, roha, mrugal were brought from Calcutta and were introduced in the tanks of Rooti, Talwar, Kamli and Bendsura. In 1961 the carps stocked numbered 2,91,250.

Finance and Co-operation.—The implementation of the fisheries development programme in the district under different schemes, encouraged fishermen to come under the co-operative fold to avail themselves of the benefits and facilities given by the department. One fishermen's co-operative society established at Pali near Bhir had a membership of 20. The society was permitted to fish in Bendsura dam. The society besides giving financial assistance to its members provides them cloth, net and other fishing equipment. It has also a refrigerator for preservation and a van for transportation of fish.