Economy

Other Small Scale Industries

Among the other industries beverages, tobacco, gur and molasses are important. The tobacco industry is wide spread and provides employment  to large number of persons. In bidi production, the old  districts of  sambalpur, Sundergarh, Bolangir, Keonjhar ,Cuttack  and Balasore are important.

Although Odisha (Orissa) has a large cattle population, it imports leather goods .The principal centres of leather products  are Baudh, Bhanjanagar, Bolangir and Keonjhar. Modern tanneries have been set up at Cuttack and Khariar Road. This industry is run primarily on family lines, the 'Mochis ' and 'Chamars' being the two castes engaged  in it. 

Oil pressing is a traditional occupation run on caste and family line. Mustard, groundnut, castor and til seeds are the principal raw materials used.

Some villages specialize in brass products, but  owing to competition from the large manufacturing concerns, especially those manufacturing aluminium  utensils, this cottage industry is decaying. The high price of brass is another handicap.

Production of inks, paints and varnishes, soap, wood and wood products also employ a large number of persons in the towns. For jewellery and filigree work, Cuttack and Berhampur are famous. Stone carving is important in Puri. The salt industry is being modernised at Huma in Ganjam district and at Astarang in Puri district. A large number of small and medium industries have been developed in the industrial suburbs of cities like Cuttack, Bhubaneswar and Sambalpur. Industrial estates have come up at Chaudwar and Jagatpur near Cuttack. At Chaudwar, a paper mill and  a cotton textile mill are functioning. At Jagatpur, a large number of consumer goods industries have been developed. 

The Industrial estate of Bhubaneswar has been developed at Rasulgarh and Mancheswar. The most important among these is the coach building unit at Mancheswar. This factory is being operated by the Indian Railways. The Odisha (Orissa) Milk Federation Chilling unit, the largest of its kind is also located at Mancheswar. The Konark TV factory is located at Rasulgarh. 

In the industrial estate of Sambalpur, a large number of small industries have been established which are consumer oriented. A straw board factory is located near Dhama by the side of a tributary of the Mahanadi. In the industrial neighbourhood of Rourkela, a large number of small and medium industries have been set up based on products of the steel plant.

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