Geography (Distribution of key Natural Resources across the world)

Model Answer

Question #1. How does the distribution of natural vegetation affect the location of timber industries around the world? Give suitable examples.

Approach:

•   The key demand of the question is to analyze the role of natural vegetation in the location of timber industries.
•   The perspective of the question is both evolutionary and analytical, and the tone of the question is positive.
•   The intro part should consist of a brief about timber industries along with various aspects.
•   Trace the various factors influencing location of Timber industries, with special emphasis on natural vegetation.
•   Give a brief conclusion along with the way forward.

Hints:

Timber products are environmentally superior to other variants made from metals, plastics and cement as these are recyclable, energy efficient and reduce greenhouse gases. Existing forest policies, laws and national forestry programmes in various countries across the world were revised to promote sustainable forest management, biodiversity conservation, and to restrict uncontrolled timber logging. India is an importer of timber and this import is growing fast to meet the domestic demand and export of value added timber products. While timber imports are liberalized, the exports of unprocessed logs are prohibited as conservation measures to protect India’s forests.

Natural Vegetation & Timber Industries:

•   Timber is one among the various flora-based products that is harvested from the forests.
•   Timber is directly dependent on the natural vegetation, many other plants and fungi support the growth of timber. It includes the forest management and diversity of biological material.
•   Natural vegetation provides a base for the growth of timber.
•   Although it may be impossible to determine the aggregate social value of these products, the global economic benefits of timber are much higher.

Factors Influencing Location of Timber Industries:

• Raw Material: - Industries keen to develop near the sources of raw material. For instance, in the timber industry wooden logs are processed in the sawmill, significant weight loss occurs. Barely 40% is used and the rest discarded as waste. This reduced the cost of transportation of raw material. The nature of raw material also has a bearing on the location.
• Energy: - The energy resource is also very crucial in the establishment of timber industries, as it uses mill operation, continuous power supply is very essential. . Similarly, the electro- metallurgical and electro-chemical industries, being power intensive, have been located where electricity is easily available.
• Transport: - Transport is required for carrying raw materials to manufacturing units and finished products to the market. The earliest timber industries developed near the port towns of Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai, since these ports were linked with rail and road to the hinterland. This infrastructure for transport was further developed after independence.
• Labour: - The availability of both unskilled and skilled, or technically qualified manpower, is an important factor in the location of industries. Unskilled labour is easily available in urban locations due to large rural-urban migration. One characteristic feature of the labour factor is its mobility.
• River: - The timber industries which heavily depend on water, for one purpose or the other. Naturally, these units are located at places where water is easily available. The timber industries are located near rivers and streams because Logs are very bulky and awkward to transport. Rivers provide a cheap and convenient mode of transport. E.g. Myanmar, the teak logs are floated down the Irrawadi River up to Yangon and then exported.
• Market: - High demand and a satisfactory purchasing power give impetus to industrial development. Government policies facilitate expansion of the market and, thus, of the industry. Market may be local, national or international.
• New Factors in a Changed Situation: - With scientific and technological advancement, the constraining geographical factors have not remained rigid. Therefore, new factors have come into play which include skilled managerial services, availability of capital and financial resources and export potential of products.
• Government policies: - The government policies seek to promote regional parity by locating the industry in backward regions. Government policies also seek to check environmental degradation and to reduce congestion.

Examples:

•   In Myanmar, the teak logs are floated down the Irrawaddy Riverup to Yangon and then exported.
•   In Canada, lumbering is a large-scale organized activity because the Softwood is easy to chop. Also in coniferous forests, trees of the same species are concentrated in particular areas.
•   In the winter season, the snow-covered Jungle surface helps to move logs to rivers.
•   The forests are comparatively less dense than in tropical areas, this makes it easy to access.
•   These forests are close to economically developed regions, where demand for wood is higher e.g. USA for newsprint paper.

Conclusion:

There are multiple factors influencing localization of timber industries. The analysis from negative binomial regression analysis reveals that the geographical location for logs storage and transportation is affecting the primary timber mills localization, while a number of primary mills and secondary mills are affected by the locations of raw materials supplies. Hence, long-term measures in sustainable forest management are particularly relevant to developing regions, as the base of timber industries.

Question #2. Explain successive development of cotton textile industry in India while describing factors affecting its localization. Also, suggest measures to strengthen cotton industry.

Approach

• Brief introduction of cotton industry in India
• Successive development of cotton industry in India and factors affecting its localization
• Way forward

Hint:

The cotton textile industry is one of the traditional industries of India. Cotton plays an important role in the Indian economy as the country's textiles industry is predominantly cotton based. India is one of the largest producers as well as exporters of cotton yarn. The Indian textiles industry contributes around 5% to country’s gross domestic product (GDP), 14% to industrial production and 11% to total export earnings.  In ancient and medieval times, India was famous worldwide for the production of muslin, a very fine variety of cotton cloth.

Successive development of cotton industry in India:

• Initially, the British did not encourage the development of indigenous cotton textile Indus.
• In 1854, the first modern cotton mill was established in Mumbai, then in Ahmedabad. The cities had several cotton textile manufacturing centers
• Swadeshi movement gave a major impetus to the industry there was a call for boycotting all British trade goods in favor of Indian goods
• After independence, this industry gradually recovered and eventually flourished.
• In southern India, mills were set up at Coimbatore, Madurai, and Bangalore.
• In central India,Nagpur, Indore,Solapur and Vadodara became cotton textile centers.
• Mills were also set up in Kolkata due to its port facilities.

Factors affecting localization of cotton industry:

• Raw material: the cotton industry should be near raw material sources.
• Power: Like any other industry cotton textile industry also requires constant and cheap sources of power. Most of the industries are located near sources of power.
• Transport: Easy means of transportation are needed for all industries, and particularly for cotton, the product of which is cheap.
• Climate: Climate exercises the most powerful influence on cotton industry. Cotton yarn cannot be spun successfully under dry conditions. The humidity of the atmosphere must be considerable.e.g. Mumbai.
• Labour: Basically, cotton textile industry was a labor-intensive industry
• Supply of Electricity: It requires favorable position to get electricity at affordable rate.
• Markets: Markets are a very potent factor in the location of the cotton industry. Forexample, Bombay and Ahmedabad.

Measures that can improve cotton industries in India:

• Raw material: budgetary support to increasing productivity on the same acreage by providing high yield seeds, usage of technology for crop management and reduced wastages in logistics and storage.
• Reduction in duty: duty structure should be rationalized across all fibers to ensure parity with natural fibers.
• Dyeing/processing/printing: Cotton industries continue to be besieged with outdated technology resulting in high cost of production. Hence, latest technology is needed
• Garmenting: India has been losing competitive advantage of garmenting to Bangladesh and Vietnam, because of the increasing labour costs. This needs to be addressed.
• Satellite towns: taking domestic proactive steps like development of satellite towns around key cities, where huge garmenting facilities can be developed.
• Design and product/process development: there is a need to create platforms where collectively designers and manufacturers can come and showcase their products to prospective customers.
• Infrastructure development: The Government needs to make available adequate infrastructure to the industry.
• Minimum support price should be rationalized so that it meets the requirement of distressed farmers

Conclusion

While the government has taken commendable steps in this regard, it needs to be realized that holistic and multifaceted approach will go long way in making world class cotton industries. The main policy of the government for the cotton textile industry is to increase the overall production of cotton also increase the quality of cotton. These schemes and initiatives which promote technology upgradation, creation of infrastructure, skill development and sectoral development in the textile sector, create a conducive environment and provide enabling conditions for textile manufacturing in the country and help in boosting the textile sector. The Government, through its various schemes, such as the Amended Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme (A-TUFS), Schemes for the development of the Powerloom Sector (Power-Tex), Schemes for Technical Textiles, Scheme for Integrated Textile Parks (SITP), etc provides environment to boost the sector.