Gujarat has some of the largest businesses in India. Major agricultural produce of the state include cotton, groundnuts (peanuts), dates, sugar cane, milk and milk products. Industrial products include cement, and petrol.
* 39% of India's industrial output
* 10% of its mineral production
* 80% of salt production
* 20% of India's exports
* 25% of its textile production
* 40% of India's pharmaceutical products
* 67% of petrochemical production
* Longest shoreline -- 1,670 kilometres (1,040 mi)
The world's largest shipbreaking yard is in Gujarat near Bhavnagar at Alang. Reliance Petroleum Limited, one of the group companies of Reliance Industries Limited founded by Dhirubhai Ambani operates the oil refinery at Jamnagar which is the world's largest grass-roots refineries. The company has also planned another SEZ (special economic zone), in Jamnagar.
Gujarat ranks first nationwide in gas-based thermal electricity generation with national market share of over 8% and second nationwide in nuclear electricity generation with national market share of over 1%.
Over 20% of the S&P CNX 500 conglomerates have corporate offices in Gujarat.
As per RBI report, in year 2006-07, 26% out of total bank finance in India was in Gujarat.
[edit] Industrial growth
Major resources produced by the state include cotton, peanuts, dates, sugarcane, and petrol. The state is rich in calcite, gypsum, manganese, lignite, bauxite, limestone, agate, feldspar and quartz sand and successful mining of these minerals is done in their specified areas. Gujarat produces about 90% of Indias required amount of Soda Ash and gives the country about 66% of its national requirement of salt. It is one of India's most prosperous states, having a per-capita GDP significantly above India's average. Kalol Khambat and Ankaleshwar are today known for their oil and natural gas production. Dhuvaran has a thermal power station, which uses coal, oil and gas.
The Tarapur nuclear station in Maharashtra supplies the maining power. Also on the Gulf of Khambat, 50 kilometres (31 mi) southeast of Bhavnagar , is the Alang Ship Recycling Yard (the world's largest).
General Motors produces the Astra car at Halol near Vadodara.
Jalalpur is a large town of Gujarat, where several small and large textile industrial units have been established. Surat, a city by the Gulf of Khambat, is a hub of the global diamond trade.[9]
During the period 1960-90, Gujarat established itself as a leader in various industrial sectors including textiles, engineering, chemicals, petrochemicals, drugs and pharmaceuticals, dairy, cement and ceramics, gems and jewellery, amongst others. Post-liberalization period saw Gujarat's State Domestic Product (SDP) rising at an average growth rate of 14% per annum in real terms (from 1994-2002). Gujarat achieved as much as 35% of augmentation in its power generation capacity during the period 1995-96 and 2000-01.
The producers (IPPs) have contributed significantly in this addition. Gujarat is one of the first few states in India to have encouraged private sector investment some of which are already in operation. In addition the liquid cargo (Chemicals) handling port at Dahej is also set up in joint sector and made operational.
At an investor's summit entitled "Vibrant Gujarat" arranged between January 10, 2007 to January 13, 2007, at Science City, Ahmedabad, the state government signed 104 Memoranda of Understandings for Special Economic Zones totalling worth Rs 2.5 lakh crore.[10] However, most of the investment was from domestic industry.[11] In the fourth Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors' Summit held at Science City, Ahmedabad in January 2009, there were 600 Foreign delegates. In all 8668 MOUs worth Rs 12.5 lakh cr were signed, estimated to create 25 lakh new job opportunities in the state.[9]
[edit] Agriculture