Morbi, popularly known as the hub of ceramic tile makers in Gujarat, is now gradually emerging as a preferred destination for manufacturing non-woven plastic products. This could be gauged from the fact that as many as five new units of non-woven plastic have come up during the last one year in this ceramic city of the state. What's more, over 10 new such units are slated to commence their production this year.
“Post government restriction on thin plastic bag, the demand of non-woven plastic products has noticeably surged in the last one year. With a view to tapping the demand, plastic manufacturers have started setting up new units of non-woven plastic products in Morbi and the other surrounding areas of Rajkot,” said Parag Sanghavi, secretary, Saurashtra Plastic Manufacturers’ Association (SPMA).
As per the data available with the association, five to six units of non-woven plastic have already commissioned their operations in Morbi alone and 10-12 more units are all slated to come up by end of this year. “ The plastic industry in Saurashtra region seems buoyant as the usage of plastic in various industries is growing at the rate of 20-25 percent every year,” Sanghavi added.
“Although there are some units operational in some parts of the Rajkot, most of the units have been set up in Morbi due to its proximity to Kutch, which also a home to a number of big cement players. Moreover, the demand from ceramic industry is another reason for non-woven plastic makers to establish their units in Morbi,” explained Pravin Patel, past president of SPMA.
“We expect more than 20 units of non-woven plastic would be operational in Morbi by next year and the figure would be around 40 units across the Saurashtra region,” he said. To start a non-woven plastic unit around Rs 5-7 crore of investment is required. Saurashtra houses nearly 4,000 plastic manufacturers. The industry has turnover of over Rs 6,000 crore and provides employment to more than 30,000 peoples.