Many new industries were established in India during the British rule but of which main industries are given below :
1. Cotton Textile Industries: First cotton textile industry in India was established at 1853 A.D. in Bombay. After this, many textile mills were established in 1877 A.D. in cotton-producing areas of Ahmedabad, Nagpur, etc. Till 1879 A.D. around 59 cotton textile mills were established in India in which around 43,000 people were employed. This number of textile mills was increased to 206 in 1905 A.D. Around 1,96,000 labourers were employed in these industries.
2. Jute Industry: Jute industry makes mats and sacks of jute. This industry was mainly under the European people. First jute industry in India was established at Sarampur (Bengal) in 1854 A.D. After this most jute factories were established in the province of Bengal. This number of industries was increased up to 36 in the beginning of 20th century.
3. Coal Mining: All the industries established by the British in India were running with coal. Coal was also required for railway. That’s why special care was given to take out coal from mines. In 1854 A.D. only two coal mines were there in Raniganj district of Bengal. But this number increased to 56 in 1880 and to 123 in 1885 A.D.
4. Indigo Industry: Indigo was required by the British for textile industry in England. That’s why they encourage cultivation of indigo in India. It was started in Bihar and Bengal in later part of 18th century. Europeans established large gardens of indigo where thousands of Indians were employed. 35 Lakh hectare land was there under the cultivation of Indigo. But this cultivation of indigo started to decline in 1879 A.D. when manufacture of artificial indigo started. As a result, only 3-4 Lakh hectare remained under the cultivation of indigo in 1915 A.D.
5. Tea: One company was established in Assam in 1834 A.D. the British planted the first Tea garden in Assam in 1852 A.D. Till 1920 A.D., around 7 Lakh hectare land was there under the cultivation of tea. Tea of around 34 crore Pounds was exported to foreign countries at that time. Later on, tea gardens were also planted in the mountains of Kangra and Nilgiri.
6. Coffee: The first coffee garden was planted in South India in 1840 A.D. Later on, the coffee gardens were planted in the regions of Mysore, Coorg, Nilgiri, and Malabar. This industry suffered a huge loss due to its competition with the coffee of Brazil.
7. Other Industries: Many new industries were established in India during the later part of the 19th century and the early part of the 20th century. Out of these industries steel, sugar, paper, matchstick, leather industries were more important.
