GENERAL ECONOMIC SURVEY

TRADE

According to the census of 1951 various types of trade- wholesale, retail, money-lending, banking and other financial business, real estate, and insurance-provided the principal means of livelihood to 53,858 persons or about 4.4 per cent. of the population of the district. It also provided a subsidiary means of livelihood to 9,894 or about 0.8 per cent. of the total population. Excluding dependents, self-supporting persons engaged in trade were 14,417 of whom 10,171 or 70.5 per cent, belonged to urban areas. A very large proportion (80.4) of self-supporting persons engaged in trade and commerce, were engaged in retail trade.

In the 19th century, Kolhapur city was an important trade centre, through which passed various articles of day to day necessity. According to the old Gazetteer the chief articles of export from the town were grains, earthenware, cattle and chillies; of imports salt, coconuts, dates, piece-goods, iron and sugar.

At present (1957-58) the chief articles of import are, building material, iron, brass, tin, stainless-steel, coal, grains, grocery, cloth and medicines. Among the exports gur, tobacco, cotton, cotton-seeds, ground-nuts, sweet-oil, oil-cakes, bajri and jowar are important.

The Bombay Agricultural Produce Markets Act (1939) was made applicable to Kolhapur State in 1945. In accordance with the provisions of the Act, the Kolhapur market was regulated from 15th October 1945. A full fledged market department came into existence from 1st June 1946. At present (1956-57) in addition to Kolhapur, the market at Gadhinglaj is also regulated. The commodities regulated at Kolhapur are gur and ground-nuts; and at Gadhinglaj gur, ground-nuts and chillies.

There were in 1956-57, 1,508 dealers registered under the Sales Tax Act (1946) and their total turnover was to the tune of Rs. 30.28 crores. Within the district, Kolhapur city had the largest number of dealers (714) with a total turnover of about Rs. 17.16 crores.

TOP