Jagadhari's brass and copper utensil makers diversify

Perturbed over the fall in demand for copper and brass utensils, many manufacturers at Jagadhari in Haryana - which is famous for its utensils and metal works - have diversified into other areas. The manufacturers have entered into and made their mark in high-quality aluminum and stainless steel utensils, brass sheets and plywood.

Jagadhari, a small town in the Yamunanagar district of Haryana and located about 100 km from Chandigarh, is an utensil manufacturing hub. The city comprises over 500 stainless steel, aluminium and brass/copper utensils manufacturers, a majority of them in the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) category.

Though stainless steel and aluminum utensils manufacturers are witnessing a spurt in demand, copper and brass manufacturers are facing tough times due to significant increase in raw material prices. Price increases have led to a fall in demand. As a result, many manufacturers have diversified into other areas.

Bharat Garg, managing director, J K Metal Industries, told Business Standard, "Brass and copper utensils are beyond the reach of the common man due to high raw material prices. So, in order to sustain themselves, many manufacturers have diversified into other areas. While some have started manufacturing utensils using stainless steel and aluminum as raw material instead of brass and copper, others ventured into brass sheets, plywood or other engineering items and are doing extremely well."

Ashwani Goel, managing director, Desh Metals, said that his company has exited brass and copper utensils and ventured into other brass items, such as brass sheets, brass strips and foils, and brass circles, which have industrial and commercial applications.

Similarly, Prakash Alloy Udyog, which is now a leading manufacturer, exporter and supplier of aluminum utensils, earlier manufactured brass and copper utensils. Some of their products include aluminum cookware, aluminum cups and aluminum plates. J K metal Industries is another such company.

Industry sources said that initially, the making of brass utensils was restricted to the Thathera community of northern India, which is involved in the production of metal household utensils. These include kettles, pans, plates, cups, mugs and buckets. These utensils were in great demand in Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and other states. Later, an organised industry came up to manufacture these items and started catering to the domestic market.

Industrialists said that a few decades ago, Jagadhari's output of utensils was enough to meet 55 per cent of demand in the domestic market. With other hubs having come up across India since, Jagadhari's share has come down to about 20 per cent. Its annual revenue is more than Rs 500 crore.