MISCELLANEOUS OCCUPATIONS

BAKERIES.

The occupation is not new to this district, Its origin can betraced to the advent of the British regime in the country when the bakeries were started mostly to cater to the needs of the European officers in the civil and military services. The old District Gazetteer of Chanda district has to say the following about it. " Two bakeries which purvey European bread have recently been opened in the town but are patronised solely by Musalmans ".

In Chandrapur district where rice is the staple food of the people, the business of bakery could not thrive much in the past. However, with the passage of time and with the changing food habits of the people coupled with the establishment of the refugee camp at Chandrapur, the occupation flourished and many bakeries were established. There are at present 31 bakeries in the district. Their main products are bread, butter, cakes, biscuits and buns. The raw materials mainly consist of items such as sugar, maida (wheat flour), hydrogenated oil, etc., which are very costly and controlled and hence there is little scope for expansion of the occupation at present. The equipment consists of metal sheets, moulds, iron rods, vessels and big plates, etc. The process of manufacturing bread is not complicated. Wheat flour is mixed with water and thus dough is prepared, a ferment is added to the dough and then the dough is kept in a warm place to ferment. After a few hours the dough apportioned in suitable sizes is kept in moulds in an oven and baked and thus bread is prepared. As per the 1961 Census, only 13 persons (all males) are reported working under the head ' Production of bread, biscuits, cake and other bakery products'.

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