Agarbathi industry in Gujarat has witnessed 20% - 25% growth in the last 5 years and it has evolved into a vibrant cottage industry.
The driving force for this growth has been various aspects like religious rituals and festivals, increased inclination towards meditation and yoga, which has made the usage of agarbathi an important aspect in everyday lives of the people of Gujarat.
Gujarat today is the second largest agarbathi manufacturing state and the 5th largest consumer market in India with three key manufacturing hubs in Ahmedabad, Rajkot and Jamnagar.
"Agarbathi industry in Gujarat has evolved from a small manufacturing base to the second largest manufacturing base in the country. Now it caters to the consumer demands of regions like Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi to name a few," said Sarath Babu, President, AIAMA.
"Ahmedabad is a very vibrant market for agarbathi industry. Today, we have close to 600 registered manufacturers in Gujarat. These units have been working diligently towards growing this industry to address the market demand. In the coming years too, we expect the industry to grow at 25%-30% Y-O-Y for the next five years and employee around 75000 more people during this journey," added Viraj Shah, Managing Committee Member, AIAMA.
The Agarbathi industry in Gujarat has over 2 lakh employees out of which 70% are women. The manufacturing base in Gujarat stands at a range of Rs. 600 - 700 crore and consumer market in the range of 300 - 400 crore.
Women associated with the industry are engaged in manufacturing and packaging of incense sticks which has helped increase their financial stability and made them independent. Flexible working hours and continuous on job training and support has helped in attracting women talent to the industry.
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