5 Facts About India's Chemical Capital Bharuch

With a 3.4% share in the global chemical industry, India’s chemical sector has been a catalyst for its economic growth over the last decade. It is the seventh-largest producer of chemicals in the world. It is expected to become one of the leading global suppliers of chemicals over the next decade.

And perhaps no other city would play a more important role in India’s leap towards global chemical dominance as Bharuch, the port city located on the banks of river Narmada in Gujarat. The city is host to some of the biggest names from the chemical industry in India and is rightfully called India’s chemical capital. 

Here are 5 facts about India’s chemical capital Bharuch that you did not know:

1. 2nd Oldest City of India

Bharuch is over 8000 years old. It happens to be the oldest city of Gujarat and the 2nd oldest city in India after Varanasi.

2. Always A Trade Capital

Being a port city, Bharuch has been witness to trade and commerce since its very inception. It was an important exchange point on the ancient global trade route. It was part of all the key land-sea trade routes of the time and was known to the Egyptians, the Greeks and the Romans.

3. Bharuch Peanuts

Chemical is not the only thing that Bharuch is famous for. It is also known worldwide for its peanuts. Although none of the peanuts are grown in Bharuch, it has the most sophisticated peanut processing plants in India. 

4. Modern Day Chemical Capital

It is heavily industrialized and has India’s biggest production plants for fertilizers, paints, dyes, cotton, textiles, and dairy products. It is also home to some of the top chemical companies in India such as Reliance, Tata Group, GNFC Ltd., NTPC, ONGC, GAIL, Astra Specialty Compounds, etc. All major global chemical companies have large production centers in Bharuch. Some of these include BASF, Wockhardt, Pfizer, Bayer, Glenmark and more.

5. Ankleshwar GIDC

Ankleshwar is a municipality in the Bharuch district. It is known for GIDC, an industrial township with 1500 chemical plants, producing products such as pharmaceuticals, pesticides, chemicals, and paints.

In addition to the above, Bharuch has also registered a consistent growth in small scale industries. There has been an increase of 20 to 30% in small scale industries. As per government data, there are over 16500 units of small and medium enterprises from diverse industry segments such as chemicals, petrochemicals, and textiles in the district.