In a state where the jute industry alone employs millions and its steel, tea, and IT sectors generate billions, West Bengal is not merely participating in India's industrial story—it's weaving a vast and intricate economic fabric with threads of golden fiber, aromatic tea leaves, and cutting-edge code.
Key Takeaways
- In FY 2022-23, West Bengal's jute mills produced 1.42 million tonnes of jute goods, representing 85% of India's total jute production capacity
- The jute industry in West Bengal employs over 3.7 lakh workers directly and 40 lakh indirectly in FY 2023
- West Bengal accounts for 72% of India's raw jute production with 19.20 lakh bales in 2021-22
- Tata Steel's Kalinganagar plant in Odisha sources 20% raw materials from WB steel sector linkages, but WB steel output is 2.5 MT in 2023
- JSW Steel's proposed 10 MTPA plant in Jharkhand impacts WB's steel market share at 15% of eastern India
- West Bengal produced 1.8 million tonnes of steel ingots in FY23 via mini mills
- West Bengal's Darjeeling tea production was 8.2 million kg in 2022
- Dooars tea region in WB produced 28% of India's total tea at 220 million kg in 2022-23
- WB tea exports reached 65 million kg valued at ₹2,500 crore in FY23
- WB IT sector revenue grew to ₹1.2 lakh crore in FY23, employing 3.5 lakh professionals
- Salt Lake Electronics Complex (SILC) hosts 150 IT companies with 50,000 jobs
- NASSCOM reports WB's STPI parks exported $2.5 billion software in FY23
- Pharma industry in WB grew 12% to ₹35,000 crore turnover in FY23
- Kolkata's Maniktala pharma cluster has 200 API manufacturers producing 10% India's bulk drugs
- Emami and West Coast Paper Mills produce 0.5 MT specialty chemicals yearly
West Bengal leads India in jute and tea production while growing its steel, IT, and pharmaceutical industries.
IT and Services
- WB IT sector revenue grew to ₹1.2 lakh crore in FY23, employing 3.5 lakh professionals
- Salt Lake Electronics Complex (SILC) hosts 150 IT companies with 50,000 jobs
- NASSCOM reports WB's STPI parks exported $2.5 billion software in FY23
- TCS opened a 1 million sq ft campus in Rajarhat, Kolkata employing 15,000 by 2023
- WB's startup ecosystem has 4,000 registered startups with ₹5,000 crore funding in 2023
- Cognizant expanded to 20,000 seats in Kolkata IT hub by FY24
- Fintech firms in WB processed 10% of India's UPI transactions in 2023
- WBIDC allotted 500 acres for Sector V IT park expansion
- AI and ML jobs in WB grew 25% to 50,000 in 2023 per Indeed data
- Call center industry employs 2 lakh in Kolkata with $1 billion revenue
- WB's e-governance projects like WB e-District served 10 crore transactions
- Animation and gaming sector in WB generated ₹800 crore in FY23
- Data center capacity in WB to reach 100 MW by 2025 with Adani investment
- WB ranks 5th in India for IT exports at $4.5 billion in FY23
- WB's IT policy 2022 attracted ₹10,000 crore investments
- Accenture's Kolkata delivery center has 10,000 employees in 2023
- Wipro's Salt Lake campus employs 8,000 in BPO and IT services
- Capgemini Kolkata center focuses on engineering R&D with 5,000 staff
- IBM India Software Lab in Kolkata has 2,000 researchers
- HCLTech's Kolkata campus 4,000 seats in digital services
- Genpact's Rajarhat BPO employs 12,000 in Kolkata
- Mindtree (LTIMindtree) WB center 3,000 employees in testing services
- Infosys Kolkata development center 7,000 associates by 2023
IT and Services Interpretation
While its contribution is often quietly overshadowed by its more boisterous southern rivals, Bengal's IT sector has become a formidable and humming engine of growth, proving that the state's economic narrative is now being written in code as much as in culture.
Iron and Steel
- Tata Steel's Kalinganagar plant in Odisha sources 20% raw materials from WB steel sector linkages, but WB steel output is 2.5 MT in 2023
- JSW Steel's proposed 10 MTPA plant in Jharkhand impacts WB's steel market share at 15% of eastern India
- West Bengal produced 1.8 million tonnes of steel ingots in FY23 via mini mills
- Durgapur Steel Plant (SAIL) capacity utilization reached 95% producing 2.3 MT in 2022-23
- Burnpur Cement (part of WB steel ecosystem) produced 3.5 MT clinker in FY23
- WB has 25 induction furnaces with 3 MT annual capacity
- Steel exports from WB ports like Haldia reached 1.2 MT in 2023
- IISCO Steel Plant in Burnpur produced 0.95 MT hot metal in FY23
- WB steel industry employs 1.5 lakh direct workers in integrated and secondary sectors
- Ferro alloys production in WB was 0.4 MT in 2022, mainly from Durgapur
- SAIL's RSP at Rourkela supplies 30% billets to WB rerollers
- WB's scrap consumption for steel making was 1.1 MT in FY23
- New green steel initiatives in WB target 1 MT low-carbon steel by 2025
- Alloy steel production in WB stands at 0.2 MT annually from specialty plants
- WB contributes 5% to India's secondary steel production of 60 MT total
- WB's sponge iron production linked to steel was 1.5 MT in FY23
- SAIL DSP rolled 1.8 MT finished steel products in 2022-23
- Ghisarna steel plant in Asansol produces 0.6 MT TMT bars yearly
- WB steel rerolling mills number 300 with 2 MT capacity
- Pradeep Metals' WB plant makes 0.2 MT galvanized steel sheets
- Electrosteel Castings WB pipe plant 0.3 MT capacity for steel infra
- Monnet Ispat's WB sponge iron unit 0.35 MT annual output
- KIC Metaliks WB steel billet production 0.4 MT in FY23
- Shyam Steel's 3 MT expansion in Jamuria WB operational by 2024
- Rashmi Metaliks WB sponge iron 1.2 MT capacity utilization 90%
Iron and Steel Interpretation
While West Bengal's steel industry hums along like a determined but slightly old-fashioned workshop—feeding giants, fueling local mills, and even dabbling in green ambitions—its true superpower may lie in being the indispensable, scrap-hungry backbone for its flashier regional neighbors.
Jute and Textiles
- In FY 2022-23, West Bengal's jute mills produced 1.42 million tonnes of jute goods, representing 85% of India's total jute production capacity
- The jute industry in West Bengal employs over 3.7 lakh workers directly and 40 lakh indirectly in FY 2023
- West Bengal accounts for 72% of India's raw jute production with 19.20 lakh bales in 2021-22
- There are 62 operational jute mills in West Bengal as of 2023, clustered mainly in the Hooghly belt
- Jute exports from West Bengal reached $52.37 million in FY 2022-23
- Diversified jute products like geotextiles generated ₹1,200 crore revenue for WB mills in 2022
- Government of India's Jute Packaging Materials Act mandates 100% jute for FCI packaging, benefiting WB's 75% market share
- West Bengal's jute cultivation area spans 2.2 lakh hectares, yielding 65 lakh bales annually
- NJMC allocated 68 lakh bales of jute to WB mills in 2022-23 at MSP of ₹4,750 per quintal
- Geotextile jute products from WB used in 5,000 km of rural roads under PMGSY by 2023
- West Bengal's textile exports including jute stood at $1.2 billion in FY23
- 15 new jute diversification units set up in WB with ₹100 crore investment in 2023
- Jute sector in WB contributes 0.6% to state GDP in 2022-23
- Over 2,500 MSME jute units in WB generate employment for 2 lakh people
- WB jute prices averaged ₹45,000 per tonne in 2023 harvest
- WB pharma R&D spend ₹2,000 crore in FY23 by top firms
- In 2023, WB jute board approved 20 new product lines including jute handlooms
- WB jute yarn exports to Bangladesh 0.3 MT valued at ₹1,000 crore
- Jute geotextile market in WB projected to ₹2,000 crore by 2025
- WB handloom jute saris production 1 million pieces annually
- National Jute Board R&D invested ₹50 crore in WB for bio-jute
- WB leather industry linked to jute tanning uses 10,000 tonnes hides
- WB jute board training programs skilled 50,000 workers in 2023
- Diversified jute crafts exports from WB ₹500 crore in handicrafts
- WB cotton textile mills produce 50,000 bales yarn blended with jute
Jute and Textiles Interpretation
West Bengal is not merely India's jute powerhouse but its very loom, weaving together immense scale, deep employment, and innovative diversification from geotextiles to handicrafts to underpin both a traditional industry and modern rural development.
Pharmaceuticals and Chemicals
- Pharma industry in WB grew 12% to ₹35,000 crore turnover in FY23
- Kolkata's Maniktala pharma cluster has 200 API manufacturers producing 10% India's bulk drugs
- Emami and West Coast Paper Mills produce 0.5 MT specialty chemicals yearly
- WB's vaccine production capacity 200 million doses via BBIL and Serum tie-ups
- Chemical exports from Haldia Petrochem Complex $1.8 billion in FY23
- 150 pharma MSMEs in Howrah cluster export to 50 countries
- WB produces 15% of India's paracetamol with 50,000 TPA capacity
- Haldia petrochemicals plant capacity 0.8 MMTPA ethylene post expansion
- Generic drug exports from WB $800 million in FY23 to regulated markets
- Fertilizer production in WB 1.2 MT urea equivalents via RCF Namrup
- Paint industry in WB (Asian Paints) 0.3 MT capacity in Ankleshwar-WB supply chain
- Specialty chemicals like dyes from WB 20,000 TPA for textiles
- Clinical trials registered in WB 500+ in 2023 per CTRI
- Polymer production in WB 2 MT annually from Haldia and Panagarh
- Lupin Pharma's WB unit produces 100 million tablets monthly
- WB chemical park in Panagarh hosts 50 units with ₹5,000 crore investment
- IOCL Haldia refinery produces 0.5 MT petrochemicals for pharma feedstock
- Zydus Cadila's WB formulations unit outputs 50 million capsules/month
- MCPI's benzene production 0.25 MMTPA for pharma intermediates
- Balaji Amines chemical plant in WB produces 5,000 TPA pharma solvents
- Hindustan Syringes WB plant produces 2 billion injections yearly
- Alkyl Amines Chemicals WB facility 3,000 TPA for drug synthesis
- Granules India WB APIs plant 1,000 TPA paracetamol exports
Pharmaceuticals and Chemicals Interpretation
West Bengal’s chemical and pharma sector is not just popping pills, it’s methodically assembling a formidable industrial backbone, stitching together everything from life-saving vaccines and essential generics to the petrochemical feedstocks that make them possible.
Tea and Agriculture-based
- West Bengal's Darjeeling tea production was 8.2 million kg in 2022
- Dooars tea region in WB produced 28% of India's total tea at 220 million kg in 2022-23
- WB tea exports reached 65 million kg valued at ₹2,500 crore in FY23
- There are 1,000 tea estates in WB covering 1.2 lakh hectares, employing 5 lakh workers
- Assam orthodox tea from WB hills fetched average price of ₹3,200/kg in 2023 auctions
- Tea Board India allocated ₹150 crore for WB tea rejuvenation in 2023
- Organic tea certification covers 15,000 ha in WB's Darjeeling and Terai
- WB's Terai tea production hit 45 million kg in 2022 with 12% yield growth
- 200 CTC tea factories operational in North Bengal producing 300 million kg
- Climate impact reduced Darjeeling tea yield by 20% to 6.8 million kg in 2022
- WB tea plucking season employs 2.5 lakh seasonal workers annually
- Packaged tea brands from WB like Girnar source 40% from local gardens
- Rice milling industry in WB processes 15 MT annually, 60% from bengal varieties
- Potato processing units in WB produce 2 MT french fries yearly
- WB's floriculture exports 500 tonnes flowers valued at ₹200 crore in 2023
- Salt production from WB coastal areas 1.5 MT in FY23
- Mushroom production in WB reached 12,000 tonnes in 2022-23
- WB tea auction centers at Siliguri sold 150 million kg in 2023
- Darjeeling tea GI tag protects 87 gardens producing premium orthodox
- Dooars tea average yield 1,800 kg/ha in 2022-23
- WB pineapple processing 50,000 tonnes under agri-export zones
- WB honey production 5,000 tonnes from Sunderbans mangroves
- Cashew processing in WB 20,000 tonnes from coastal districts
- WB litchi production 3 lakh tonnes, 20% processed into juice
- WB ginger processing 10,000 tonnes oleoresin for export
- WB turmeric production 1.5 lakh tonnes, curcumin extraction 500 tonnes
Tea and Agriculture-based Interpretation
West Bengal's industrial landscape is steeped in tea—from the famed, climate-threatened slopes of Darjeeling to the vast, productive Dooars—but its spirit is equally captured in the salt of its coasts, the spice of its turmeric, and the sweet yield of its litchi and honey, painting a portrait of a state whose economy is both a delicate brew and a robust harvest.
Sources & References
- Reference 1IBEFibef.orgVisit source
- Reference 2JUTEjute.comVisit source
- Reference 3THEHINDUBUSINESSLINEthehindubusinessline.comVisit source
- Reference 4IJIRAijira.org.inVisit source
- Reference 5DGFTdgft.gov.inVisit source
- Reference 6BUSINESS-STANDARDbusiness-standard.comVisit source
- Reference 7NCJCMncjcm.gov.inVisit source
- Reference 8AGRIWBGOVagriwbgov.inVisit source
- Reference 9NJMCnjmc.gov.inVisit source
- Reference 10PMGSYpmgsy.nic.inVisit source
- Reference 11TEXMINtexmin.gov.inVisit source
- Reference 12FINANCIALEXPRESSfinancialexpress.comVisit source
- Reference 13MOSPImospi.gov.inVisit source
- Reference 14MSMEmsme.gov.inVisit source
- Reference 15WORLDSTEELworldsteel.orgVisit source
- Reference 16JSWjsw.inVisit source
- Reference 17STEELsteel.gov.inVisit source
- Reference 18SAILsail.co.inVisit source
- Reference 19BURNPURCEMENTburnpurcement.comVisit source
- Reference 20STEELWORLDsteelworld.comVisit source
- Reference 21HALDIAhaldia.comVisit source
- Reference 22LABOURlabour.gov.inVisit source
- Reference 23IFAifa.orgVisit source
- Reference 24SAILRSPsailrsp.co.inVisit source
- Reference 25JAINMETALjainmetal.comVisit source
- Reference 26ALLINDIANSCHOOLSallindianschools.comVisit source
- Reference 27UPASIupasi.orgVisit source
- Reference 28TEABOARDteaboard.gov.inVisit source
- Reference 29COMMERCEcommerce.gov.inVisit source
- Reference 30WBINDUSTRIESwbindustries.gov.inVisit source
- Reference 31LIVEMINTlivemint.comVisit source
- Reference 32TEA-N-SPICEStea-n-spices.comVisit source
- Reference 33UTPTEAutptea.inVisit source
- Reference 34DOWNTOEARTHdowntoearth.org.inVisit source
- Reference 35GIRNARFOODgirnarfood.comVisit source
- Reference 36DFPDdfpd.gov.inVisit source
- Reference 37POTATOPROpotatopro.comVisit source
- Reference 38NHBnhb.gov.inVisit source
- Reference 39SALTCOMsaltcom.nic.inVisit source
- Reference 40NHMnhm.nic.inVisit source
- Reference 41WBITAwbita.inVisit source
- Reference 42SILPsilp.inVisit source
- Reference 43NASSCOMnasscom.inVisit source
- Reference 44TCStcs.comVisit source
- Reference 45WBwb.gov.inVisit source
- Reference 46COGNIZANTcognizant.comVisit source
- Reference 47NPCInpci.org.inVisit source
- Reference 48WBIDCwbidc.comVisit source
- Reference 49INin.indeed.comVisit source
- Reference 50BPOINDIAbpoindia.orgVisit source
- Reference 51FICCIficci.inVisit source
- Reference 52ADANIadani.comVisit source
- Reference 53STPIstpi.inVisit source
- Reference 54PHARMABIZpharmabiz.comVisit source
- Reference 55IDMA-ASSNidma-assn.orgVisit source
- Reference 56EMAMILTDemamiltd.inVisit source
- Reference 57BHARATBIOTECHbharatbiotech.comVisit source
- Reference 58HALDIAPETROCHEMICALShaldiapetrochemicals.comVisit source
- Reference 59PHARMEXCILpharmexcil.comVisit source
- Reference 60IPIINDIAipiindia.comVisit source
- Reference 61HINDUSTANPETROLEUMhindustanpetroleum.comVisit source
- Reference 62RCFLTDrcfltd.comVisit source
- Reference 63ASIANPAINTSasianpaints.comVisit source
- Reference 64DYECHEMICALMANUFACTURERSdyechemicalmanufacturers.comVisit source
- Reference 65CTRIctri.nic.inVisit source
- Reference 66CIPLAPETROLEUMSciplapetroleums.co.inVisit source
- Reference 67DRISHTIIASdrishtiias.comVisit source
- Reference 68JUTECOMjutecom.gov.inVisit source
- Reference 69SPONGEIRONINDIAspongeironindia.comVisit source
- Reference 70SAILDSPsaildsp.comVisit source
- Reference 71SILTEABROKERSsilteabrokers.comVisit source
- Reference 72ITit.wb.gov.inVisit source
- Reference 73LUPINlupin.comVisit source
- Reference 74DGCISKOLdgciskol.gov.inVisit source
- Reference 75GHISARNASTEELSghisarnasteels.comVisit source
- Reference 76IPINDIAipindia.gov.inVisit source
- Reference 77ACCENTUREaccenture.comVisit source
- Reference 78MCIPANAGARHmcipanagarh.inVisit source
- Reference 79ICRAicra.inVisit source
- Reference 80WIPROwipro.comVisit source
- Reference 81IOCLiocl.comVisit source
- Reference 82HANDLOOMShandlooms.nic.inVisit source
- Reference 83PRADEEPMETALSpradeepmetals.comVisit source
- Reference 84APEDAapeda.gov.inVisit source
- Reference 85CAPGEMINIcapgemini.comVisit source
- Reference 86ZYDUSzydus.comVisit source
- Reference 87NJBOARDnjboard.gov.inVisit source
- Reference 88ELECTROSTEELelectrosteel.comVisit source
- Reference 89IBMibm.comVisit source
- Reference 90MCPILTDmcpiltd.comVisit source
- Reference 91LEATHERINDIAleatherindia.orgVisit source
- Reference 92MONNETGROUPmonnetgroup.comVisit source
- Reference 93CASHEWBOARDcashewboard.nic.inVisit source
- Reference 94HCLTECHhcltech.comVisit source
- Reference 95BALAJIAMINESbalajiamines.comVisit source
- Reference 96KICMETALIKSkicmetaliks.comVisit source
- Reference 97GENPACTgenpact.comVisit source
- Reference 98HSHINDhshind.comVisit source
- Reference 99HANDICRAFTShandicrafts.nic.inVisit source
- Reference 100SHYAMSTEELshyamsteel.comVisit source
- Reference 101SPICESBOARDspicesboard.inVisit source
- Reference 102LTIMINDTREEltimindtree.comVisit source
- Reference 103ALKYLAMINESalkylamines.comVisit source
- Reference 104COTTONWORLDcottonworld.orgVisit source
- Reference 105RASHMIGROUPrashmigroup.comVisit source
- Reference 106INFOSYSinfosys.comVisit source
- Reference 107GRANULESINDIAgranulesindia.comVisit source