| The market for incense sticks is very vast and the | | | | controlled by small operators. The government needs |
| demand for these incense sticks is high even in the | | | | to pay urgent attention to this industry if it wants |
| far-flung rural areas. The incense industry is driven by | | | | the industry to retain its leadership position in the |
| factors other than commerce like tradition, | | | | industry. |
| superstition and religion... | | | | The incense stick industry has also promoted social |
| India has a leadership position in the incense sticks | | | | entrepreneurship in the rural and semi urban areas as |
| market and fulfills more than half of the world's | | | | more and more people have acquired the confidence |
| incense sticks requirements. Export earnings have | | | | to start their own businesses. Some reputed Indian |
| crossed 220 crore mark while the domestic market is | | | | corporate have taken the lead in promoting this trend |
| expected to be well over a thousand crores Every | | | | by training rural women in bamboo cutting, incense |
| year more than 60 billion sticks are produced and the | | | | rolling, raw incense sorting, perfuming and packaging |
| market is growing at a rate of 7% per year. | | | | of incense sticks. The entry of corporate has helped |
| The incense stick market faces a sudden upsurge in | | | | in mechanization at each step of the manufacturing |
| demand during the festive season. Demand from | | | | process. Earlier rural women used to cut bamboo with |
| both domestic and international sectors peaks up | | | | an axe leading to injuries. This process has been done |
| during festivals like Dassera and Diwali. Some of the | | | | away with the introduction of bamboo cutting |
| popular fragrances that have captured the | | | | machines. |
| imagination of consumers both in India and abroad | | | | Though mechanization was brought into this industry |
| include Archanam - Mogra, Yagyam - Havan, Yogam - | | | | by, the early 1990's experience has shown that |
| Dhoop, Poojanam - Saffron, Dhyanam - Sandal, | | | | industrially manufactured incense sticks cannot match |
| Chintanam - Kasturi, and Shantam - Rose. | | | | the fragrance produced by hand made incense sticks. |
| Today, the incense industry has not only become a | | | | This is because hand made incense sticks are made |
| major revenue earner for the Government it has also | | | | from medicinal aromatic herbs and fragrance oils |
| become a prominent source of employment for | | | | extracted from aromatic flowers. The net result of |
| women in rural areas. Presently, the incense industry | | | | this being that the incense stick industry has become |
| in India is a cottage industry and the market is largely | | | | a major source of employment to women in the rural |
| unorganized. Only twenty percent of the market is | | | | areas. |
| occupied by organized players while the rest is | | | | |