Morbi - The Indian Tile Hub Aims to Dominate Chinese Market | Latest News

Gujarat's Morbi Emerges as India's Tile Hub, Aims to Dominate Chinese Market

Morbi, Gujarat: In the heart of Gujarat's Morbi, a ceramic powerhouse, workers stream out of factories, loading millions of square feet of tiles destined to grace homes and offices worldwide. Despite being India's tile champion, Morbi is setting its sights on a grander goal – challenging China's dominance in the global market.

Anticipating a surge in demand, Morbi is gearing up for expansion, with plans for a 425-hectare ceramics park within the next six months. This move aims to reduce reliance on imported machinery from the European Union, signaling a shift towards self-sufficiency.

Currently hosting over 800 tile factories, Morbi accounts for 90% of India's tile production, second only to China. With an annual turnover of Rs 50,000 crore and exports constituting Rs 15,000 crore, the town's ceramic industry is eyeing global recognition.
 

Industry leaders are optimistic about Morbi's potential to attract businesses shifting away from China, especially post-Covid. Mukesh Bhai Kangariya, President of the Morbi Ceramic Tiles Manufacturers Association, notes the growing aversion of European companies to China, creating opportunities for Morbi to thrive.

In a bid to elevate the ceramics industry, the Gujarat government is highlighting the sector ahead of the 10th edition of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit in January 2024. Recent agreements totaling over Rs 1,280 crore in investments, focusing on ceramics, engineering, and machine tools, were signed in Rajkot.

To outshine China, industry leaders emphasize the need for government support, including subsidies and investments, to make Morbi's tiles more competitively priced. Despite China's larger market size, projections indicate India's ceramic industry's compound annual growth rate (CAGR) surpasses that of China.

The promised ceramics park, expected to be a game-changer, aims to consolidate Morbi's position in the global market. However, some industry figures express concerns about the practicality of shifting entire businesses to a location nearly 50 kilometers away.

As Morbi seeks to dominate the tile industry, the region's recipe for success includes proximity to Mundra port, access to raw materials from Rajasthan, and the entrepreneurial spirit of the Patel community. With global connections and technological advances, Morbi's journey from a local player to a global contender continues, and industry leaders are looking to government policies to propel Morbi to the forefront of the world's ceramic industry.