Khadi Exceeds Rs 1 Lakh Crore Turnover In 2021-22

Leaving behind all the FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods) companies in India, khadi exceeds a turnover of Rs 1 lakh crore in 2021-22, in a successful exercise of the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiatives of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC).

How big is this? Attributing the achievement to the constant support of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, KVIC has, for the first time, clocked a massive turnover of Rs 1.15 lakh crore, which is unprecedented for any FMCG company in the country. This makes KVIC the only company in the country to have recorded a turnover of Rs 1 lakh crore.

In fiscal year 2021-22, KVIC's overall turnover stood at a whopping Rs 1,15,415.22 crore, as compared to Rs 95,741.74 crore in the previous year, 2020-21.

Good growth! KVIC has thus registered a growth of 20.54 per cent from the year 2020-21. Compared to the year 2014-15, the overall production in khadi and village industry sectors in 2021-22 has registered a whopping growth of 172 per cent while the gross sales during this period increased by over 248 per cent.

The massive turnover of KVIC has come despite partial lockdown in the country in the first three months — April to June 2021 — due to the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Khadi's impact. Looking at the performance in the last year, the biggest impact can be seen in the khadi sector, which has registered a growth of 43.20 per cent from Rs 3,528 crore in 2020-21 to Rs 5,052 crore in 2021-22.

In the last eight years, from 2014-15, the production in the khadi sector in 2021-22 has increased by 191 per cent, while the khadi sales have increased exponentially by 332 per cent.

KVIC chairman Vinai Kumar Saxena attributed khadi’s phenomenal growth to the constant support of the Prime Minister to promote khadi in the country. At the same time, innovative schemes, creative marketing ideas, and active support from various ministries have also added to the khadi’s growth in recent years.

"The Prime Minister’s repeated appeals to achieve self-reliance by promoting swadeshi and particularly khadi has done wonders. Today, khadi stands far ahead of all FMCG companies in the country. By employing new scientific methods and diversifying khadi’s product range, KVIC has succeeded in achieving such massive growth which no other FMCG company can match," he said.

Notably, people have responded enthusiastically to the Prime Minister’s calls of "Aatmanirbhar Bharat" and "Vocal for Local."

KVIC’s main focus in the last couple of years has been to create sustainable employment for artisans and unemployed youth. Faced with economic distress, a large number of youths took up self-employment and manufacturing activities under the Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP), which increased the production in the village industry sector.

At the same time, the sales of khadi and village industry products grew significantly following the Prime Minister’s appeal to buy swadeshi products.

This is also evident from the fact that khadi’s single-day sales at its flagship store at Connaught Place, New Delhi, reached an all-time high of Rs 1.29 crore on 30 October 2021.