Theme 2.8. Geography of branches of light industry

Light industry — a complex of branches which use mainly agricultural raw materials and provide the population with fabrics, clothes, footwear and other consumer goods. Thus, integrity of a complex is caused by a generality, both initial raw materials, and finished goods appointment.

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Light industry production makes more than 1/4 total amounts of production of commodities. On a share of the goods of cultural and household and economic appointment it is necessary about 1/5 consumer productions which are let out by different branches of the heavy industry. The heavy industry as a whole gives 1/3 productions for the population.

Hence, the light industry can be considered and as a link of an interbranch complex more a high rank — a complex of industries on manufacture of the consumer goods.

The light industry has close contact to agriculture, especially at a stage of a preprocessing of raw materials. At the same time it co-operates with such branches of the heavy industry, as mechanical engineering, the chemical and petrochemical industry. Receiving the necessary equipment, chemical fibres, dyes, the light industry, in turn, provides with their production of industrial appointment.

The territorial combination of light industry and the heavy industry is favourable from the point of view of rational use of a manpower as in production of commodities of the woman are occupied in большей to a measure, than men.

The social and economic role of light industry as as a whole on the country, and in regional aspect is very great. On the one hand, its enterprises differ high labour input, with another — provide not only physiological, but also aesthetic requirements of people. Light industry presence strengthens integrated approach of development of economic region.

Character of the territorial organization of light industry is caused, first of all, by influence of consumer and raw factors. Action of each of them appears various depending on a stage of manufacture and technical and economic specificity of this or that branch, and irrespective of raw or consumer orientation value of the factor of a labour is exclusively great, i.e. Security a necessary manpower.

On stages of a preprocessing of the raw materials, which enrichment it is interfaced to a mass waste (for example, the exit of fibres at processing of linen straws makes 1/5 weights of initial raw materials), manufacture gravitates to raw-material bases. So, the enterprises for flax and hemp processing are in areas of distribution of these cultures.

The raw materials preprocessing at integrated approach of its use and recycling of a waste causes occurrence of steady territorial combinations of the manufactures concerning different industries. In one cases these combinations are formed by light industry, for example a flax preprocessing — маслобойное manufacture, etc., in others — have arisen as result of influence of the food-processing industry, for example meat manufacture — tanning manufacture — footwear manufacture.

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Except agriculture as a raw-material base for light industry organic synthesis — manufacture of the artificial and synthetic materials which application quickly increases serves. It is indicative that in balance of raw materials for tanning products the foreground was occupied with artificial skin. In the textile industry with application of chemical fibres now it is made more than 4/5 woollen fabrics and almost all silk fabrics. The industry of organic synthesis forms qualitatively new raw-material base sharply different on character of placing from the agricultural. Thereof conditions of development of light industry and placing of its enterprises in separate areas of the country change.

All branches of light industry (except for raw materials preprocessing) on their gravitation to sources of raw materials and consumption areas share on following groups:

1) Branches with simultaneous orientation both to raw materials, and to the consumer — cotton, woolen, silk, knitted;

2) Branches with orientation to the consumer — shoe and sewing;

3) Branches with orientation to raw materials — linen.

Manufacture of fabrics was the most developed industry of pre-revolutionary Russia. The central area and St.-Petersburg made about 9/10 all production of the textile industry. These areas differed one from another not only on manufacture structure (a parity of separate branches and stages of technological process), but also on character of its placing. In the Central area manufacture of fabrics, on the one hand, concentrated in cities, and with another — has been disseminated on territory, forming factory and handicraft villages.

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About 4/5 all production. The tendency of the interfaced development of different stages of technological process is characteristic for all areas of the country. In Siberia, the Volga region and other areas the new enterprises were created mainly as industrial complexes. Simultaneously in old textile areas missing links that has strengthened degree of a combination of manufacture have been filled.

The developed placing of the textile industry shows: 1) obvious gravitation of manufacture (except for the linen industry) to areas of consumption of finished goods; 2) territorial distinctions between scales of raw-material bases and manufactures, on the one hand, manufacture and consumption — with another.

The leading role in manufacture of fabrics is played by the Central area where one of the world's largest centers of the textile industry was historically generated. Here it is developed over all 4/5 cotton (Ivanovo, Moscow, Yaroslavl, Orekhovo-Zuyevo, etc.), about 1/2 silk (Moscow, Tver, NaroFominsk, etc.), to 4/5 linen (Kostroma, Vyazniki, etc.) and about 2/5 woolen (Moscow, etc.) fabrics. Using imported raw materials, the Central area production most part takes out. Its communications on sale of finished articles extend all over the country.
Among new textile areas Siberia which as area of the textile industry was generated as a result of manufacture approach to places of consumption of finished goods is allocated and specializes on release cotton (Barnaul, Kansk), woolen (Krasnoyarsk, Leninskkuznetsky, Chita), silk (Krasnoyarsk, Kemerovo) and linen (Biisk) of fabrics.

The clothing industry on gross output takes the second place after textile, but is characterized considerably more by a wide circulation. Its enterprises, having consumer orientation, are actually presented in all economic regions.

The clothing industry "repeats" population placing, "finds" to itself in areas of consumption and a necessary manpower. About 4/5 total manufactures of garments (at cost) it is concentrated in the European part. However their share in the general output of light industry here is less, than in east areas where while the textile industry and other branches are rather more poorly developed.

The shoe industry belongs to number of branches where consumer orientation of the enterprises is supplemented with influence of the raw factor.

Historically tanning and shoe manufactures territorially have been connected among themselves. For the first time they have arisen in the Central area (Ostashkov, Kimry) and in the Northwest (St.-Petersburg).

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Now in the shoe industry artificial skin, and also textile materials (for top) are used as raw materials not only natural, but also. As a result the raw-material base became wider. At the same time gravitation of manufacture of footwear to areas of consumption of finished goods has amplified. In 1998 it has been made 23, 8 million pairs footwear.

In the European part 75 % are prepared approximately, and processed about 85 % of tanning raw materials. Here make more than 4/5 all footwear in the country. The largest centers of the shoe industry are in Central (Moscow) and Northwest (St.-Petersburg) areas, in the North Caucasus (Rostov).

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