Why have Mumbai and Ahmedabad emerged as the important cotton manufacturing centres?

Mumbai and Ahmedabad have emerged as the important cotton manufacturing centres because of the following reasons-

1. Climatic conditions — The humid coastal climate favours the textile making without breaking the thread.
2. Transport facilities — These states are well connected through rail and road links with cotton growing areas of Maharashtra and Gujarat and also through sea routes with the foreign markets.
3. Proximity to raw material — The supply of raw cotton for the mills is supplied by the cotton producing areas of the Deccan Plateau that lie close to these mills.
4. Port Facilities — Good port facilities facilitate import of capital goods, chemicals etc. and the export of finished goods.
5. Labour — The states have enough labour force from within or nearby states.
6. Capital — Both the states have easy access to capital and financial resources.
7. Power — Power is supplied in Mumbai by the Tata Hydroelectric system while Ahmedabad gets its power from Ukai and Kakrapara hydroelectric projects.
8. Market — There is a huge market for the cotton cloth in these states and in the southern states of the country because of the hot climate which prevails in these areas.