Before iron ore, Bellary had jeans in its genes

Tell your friends or relatives that you are going to Bellary and they are likely to ask you to bring jeans from there; other than the infamous mining industry, Bellary is known for its good-quality, low-cost jeans. While the ban on mining has had an adverse effect on hotel industry, liquor business and the sale of gold and silver, the jeans industry has remained unperturbed and continues to grow. One of the jeans-manufacturing companies based in Bellary, Point Blank Jeans, had a turnover of Rs25 crore in the previous fiscal year.The British connection

The garment industry had been introduced in Bellary district during the British rule. It was here that the uniforms for the British troops used to be stitched. This place had been chosen because from here the uniforms could be sent to Hyderabad as well as Chennai, the two cities where the British had large troops. The industry had taken a backseat after independence as the British left the country.The garment industry saw a revival in the 1980s as jeans trousers started becoming popular. The trade got another boost with introduction of technologies for dying and washing the cloth. At one point of time, more than 10,000 workers were involved in the profession. However, workers started shifting to mining industry for better wages, thus giving a slight setback to the apparel sector.Huge demandOwner of Point Blank Jeans, N Bhharani, said most of the jeans are sent to Maharashtra, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Orissa and other states, where the Bellary brands are in huge demand. He said their jeans have gained popularity because they are cheap and of good quality. He said in big cities such as Bangalore , jeans are costly because of high cost of labour and production, unlike Bellary. It has not been a cakewalk for the jeans-manufacturing sector. Recently, cost of fabric has more than doubled—from Rs28,000 to Rs65,000 for 328kg. Export too has seen a setback. Nevertheless, Bhharani says the industry in Bellary has withstood the challenges and is running successfully, mainly due to customer satisfaction.