Economy of Madhya Pradesh

Agriculture

The state is predominantly agricultural and about 80% of the population depends on agriculture for its livelihood. Rice, wheat, soyabean, rapeseed and mustard are among the principal crops of the state. But it is in the matter of pulses, urad, mung, gram and arhar, that Madhya Pradesh leads the others with about one-fifth of the total production of these protein-rich food crops coming from the state. The black soil of the Malwa region is good for cultivation of cotton and some textile mills have also come up because of the availability of cotton.

Indyustry

Forests are important in the state. About 1.7 million hectares of land in the state is under forests. Apart from the high quality teak, ’sal’ an important timber wood is also available in the state. Bamboos are also available in large quantities. A product of the forests of great relevance to the economy and even the polities of the state is the tendu leaves used extensively for making beedies. The state’s forests are mainly located in the Vindhyas and the Satpuras.

Coal and iron are among the more important of the minerals of Madhya Pradesh. The iron ore found in Madhya Pradesh is of high grade and occurs in the Dury, Jubalpur, Bastar and Gwalior districts. Manganese is another important mineral which occurs in Madhya Pradesh in the Balaghat and Chhindwara districts.

There is bauxite which is required in the production of aluminium and which is available in the Katni tehsil of Jabalpur. Madhya Pradesh has a large deposit of limestone required for the production of cement. The Panna region has a rich diamond bed and is well known for the production of diamonds. Marble is also available in the state in several districts. The state has rich granaries of food. In the northern part sillimanite and ochre are excavated. Other natural products are steatite and China clay.

There are many flourishing textile mills in the state and artificial silk manufacturing plants located at Ujjain, Nagda, Indore and Gwalior. In the public sector, huge plants, namely the Bhilai Steel plant, the Heavy Electrical and the Bailadilla are the major achievements. The Nepa Mills produces newsprint for the country. Diesel engines are manufactured at Indore and attractive pottery and carpets are produced at Gwalior.

The state is famous for traditional village crafts such a chanderi sarees, leather and clay toys. Ancillary industries such as dyeing, calico printing and bleaching have also tended to concentrate in areas producing handloom cloth, silk and wool products. The states wood work and lacquer-ware are also very famous.