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Home › West Bengal › West Bengal Industries

West Bengal Industries

Jute mills line the Hooghly river, Durgapur and Asansol have steel plants of the Steel Authority of India, and Haldia has a port and petrochemical industries. Kolkata has a large leather complex, and its Salt Lake and New Town areas host IT companies. Small and medium enterprises are a large part of the state's industry.

The West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC) promotes investment in the state.

Key industries

Makhana (fox nuts)

West Bengal is one of India's three main makhana-growing states, with Bihar and Assam. Makhana, the fox nut or gorgon nut (Euryale ferox), grows in ponds and wetlands. In West Bengal, Malda district grows it and has chosen it as one of its products under One District One Product. As in neighbouring Bihar, the seeds are gathered by hand from the pond bed, mainly from about July to October, then dried, roasted and popped into the light white grains sold as a snack. Makhana is in growing demand at home and abroad, and the Government of India's Central Sector Scheme for the Development of Makhana (2025-26 to 2030-31) supports seed, training, processing and exports. More on the crop: makhana in Bihar, which grows nearly three-fourths of India's crop.

Specialties of West Bengal

Darjeeling tea

Darjeeling tea is grown on about 87 estates in the hills of Darjeeling and Kurseong, at heights of up to about 2,000 metres. Its light, muscatel flavour has made it one of the world's most prized teas, picked in several "flushes" from spring to autumn. The Tea Board of India is based in Kolkata.

Bardhaman sitabhog and mihidana

Bardhaman's two famous sweets were first made, by tradition, for a visit of the Viceroy in the early 20th century: sitabhog, fine rice-like strands of chhena and rice flour fried and soaked in syrup, and mihidana, tiny golden drops of fried batter in syrup.

Help for entrepreneurs and local industries

Every district has a District Industries Centre (DIC), run by the state's industries department. It is the first place to go to register a unit, to apply for the state's incentives and subsidies, and for help with central schemes such as PMEGP.

From the West Bengal government

From the Government of India

  • Udyam Registration: free online registration for micro, small and medium enterprises, with an Aadhaar number; the Udyam certificate is needed for most MSME schemes and for priority-sector bank loans
  • Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP): loans to start a new micro enterprise, with a government subsidy of 15 to 35 per cent of the project cost (higher in rural areas and for women, SC/ST and other special categories); apply through the District Industries Centre or the Khadi and Village Industries Commission
  • Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana: loans without collateral from banks, small finance banks and microfinance institutions: Shishu up to Rs 50,000, Kishor up to Rs 5 lakh, Tarun up to Rs 10 lakh, and Tarun Plus up to Rs 20 lakh for those who have repaid a Tarun loan
  • Stand-Up India: bank loans of Rs 10 lakh to Rs 1 crore to set up a new enterprise, for women and for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe entrepreneurs
  • Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises (CGTMSE): guarantees bank loans to micro and small enterprises, so they can borrow without collateral or a third-party guarantee
  • Startup India: recognition by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, which brings tax and patent benefits, the Startup India Seed Fund and mentoring
  • PM Vishwakarma: for artisans and craftspeople in 18 traditional trades: recognition, skill training with a stipend, a toolkit grant and low-interest loans without collateral
  • PM Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME): for small food-processing units: a 35 per cent credit-linked subsidy (up to Rs 10 lakh a unit), seed capital for self-help groups, and help with branding and marketing
  • Government e-Marketplace (GeM): sell goods and services online to government departments and public sector companies
  • MSME Samadhaan: file a case when a buyer has not paid a micro or small enterprise within 45 days
  • MSME Champions: the Ministry of MSME's help desk for complaints and problems with finance, approvals and markets
  • MSME Development and Facilitation Offices: the Ministry of MSME's offices in every state: advice, training, testing and the ministry's schemes
  • Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI): the bank for small industries: loans, and refinance through other lenders
  • National Single Window System: one place to apply for central approvals and licences, and for many states' approvals
  • One District One Product: promotes a chosen product of each district, with help to find buyers and export
  • NIESBUD: the national institute for entrepreneurship training, under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship
  • myScheme: search central and state government schemes by state, occupation and other details

Schemes, limits and subsidies change with each budget: check the official site before applying.

Sources

Summarised from the state's industrial policy and the official profiles linked below. Makhana: the Press Information Bureau's note "India's Makhana Sector" (August 2026), APEDA's study of makhana exports, and the One District One Product list. Specialties: Darjeeling tea (Geographical Indication: Darjeeling Tea; One District One Product: Darjeeling); Bardhaman sitabhog and mihidana (Geographical Indication: Bardhaman Sitabhog, Bardhaman Mihidana).

Reference links