Answer: On the basis of the source of raw material, industries are classified into agro-based, forest-based, mineral-based, marine-based and animal-based industries.
- Agro-based industries: use agricultural products as raw material. Examples: cotton textile, jute, sugar, vegetable oil, food processing, tea and coffee processing. They are usually located near the producing areas because many raw materials are bulky or perishable, e.g. sugar factories in western Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, jute mills in West Bengal.
- Forest-based industries: use forest products such as wood, bamboo, cane, lac, resin and gums. Examples: paper and pulp, newsprint, furniture, plywood, matchsticks, rayon, lac industry. They are located near forest regions, e.g. paper industry in Canada and Scandinavia, Ballarpur paper mill in Maharashtra.
- Mineral-based industries: use minerals (metallic and non-metallic) as raw material. Examples: iron and steel, aluminium, copper smelting, cement, glass, petrochemicals, fertilisers. Heavy industries like iron and steel are located near coal and iron ore fields, e.g. Jamshedpur, Bhilai, Bokaro in India, the Ruhr in Germany.
- Marine-based industries: use products obtained from the sea and oceans. Examples: fish processing and canning, fish oil, salt making, sea-food processing, sea weed products. They develop along coasts and near ports, e.g. coastal Kerala, Japan, Norway.
- Animal-based industries: use animal products as raw material. Examples: dairy (milk products), leather and footwear, woollen textiles, silk (sericulture), meat processing, bone and horn products. E.g. dairy industry in Gujarat (Anand) and Denmark, leather industry in Kanpur and Agra, woollen industry in Australia and New Zealand.
Conclusion: The source of raw material largely decides the location of industries. Industries using heavy, bulky or weight-losing raw materials are located close to the source, while industries using light raw materials can be located near markets.
