Agarbathi industry in Gujarat has witnessed 20% – 25% growth in the last 5 years and it has evolved into a vibrant cottage industry. The driving force for this growth has been various aspects like religious rituals and festivals, increased inclination towards meditation and yoga, which has made the usage of agarbathi an important aspect in everyday lives of the people of Gujarat.

Agarbathi Making Using Machine 

Gujarat today is the second largest agarbathi manufacturing state and the 5^th largest consumer market in India with three key manufacturing hubs in Ahmedabad, Rajkot and Jamnagar.

Speaking about the growth, Mr. Sarath Babu, President, AIAMA, said, "Agarbathi industry in Gujarat has evolved from a small manufacturing base to the second largest manufacturing base in the country. Now it caters to the consumer demands of regions like Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi to name a few."

"Ahmedabad is a very vibrant market for agarbathi industry. Today, we have close to 600 registered manufacturers in Gujarat. These units have been working diligently towards growing this industry to address the market demand. In the coming years too, we expect the industry to grow at 25%-30% Y-O-Y for the next five years and employee around 75000 more people during this journey," added Mr. Viraj Shah, Managing Committee Member, AIAMA.

The Agarbathi industry in Gujarat has over 2 lakh employees out of which 70% are women. The manufacturing base in Gujarat stands at a range of INR 600 – 700 crore and consumer market in the range of 300 – 400 crore. Women associated with the industry are engaged in manufacturing and packaging of incense sticks which has helped increase their financial stability and made them independent. Flexible working hours and continuous on job training and support has helped in attracting women talent to the industry.

About All India Agarbathi Manufacturers Association (AIAMA)

Established in the year 1949 as MOMA (Mysore Oodabathi Manufacturers’ Association) by seven founding members, AIAMA has been working tirelessly towards encouraging the growth of Agarbathi industry and allied products in India. In the early 80’s, with increased interest and participation of manufacturers from other Indian states, MOMA was renamed to ‘All India Agarbathi Manufacturers Association’ (AIAMA). With head office in Bengaluru, at present more than 700 Agarbathi manufacturers across India are life members with AIAMA. The association has been aggressively working with the industry peers, policy makers and government bodies to address various issues of the Agarbathi and allied industries. Association’s efforts are not only restricted to the support and growth of Agarbathi industry in the domestic market, but also to drive for demand growth in the international markets.