Rice Mill Industry

The rice mill industry is an important segment of Indian economy. Indian rice milling industry is the oldest and largest agro-based industry. India is the second largest producer of rice in the world. The mechanized sector of rice milling industry handles more than 45 million tonnes of paddy annually. Rice is the staple food for 65 per cent of the population in India. Tamil Nadu is one of the industrially advanced states. Tamil Nadu is the third largest economy in India but it stands second position in number of industrial units, number of workers employed in factories and retaining the third position in terms of industrial output. Ariyalur district is an industrially and economically developing district in Tamil Nadu state. Paddy processing is one of the major industrial activities in Ariyalur taluk, for the taluk is surrounded by paddy fields and also Thanjavur district, the Rice-Bowl of Tamil Nadu, is nearer to this district. Now, the rice mill units have given more employment opportunity to skilled and unskilled workers. This study aims at analyzing the sustainable development of rice mill industries in Ariyalur taluk of Tamil Nadu.