How UP's Meerut is emerging as India's biggest sports goods hub
Meerut, long regarded as India's cricket bat capital, is rapidly transforming into a diversified sports goods manufacturing hub, with industry leaders attributing the shift to
Meerut, long regarded as India's cricket bat capital, is rapidly transforming into a diversified sports goods manufacturing hub, with industry leaders attributing the shift to a combination of government incentives, modern technology and growing domestic demand for sports equipment. Backed by the Uttar Pradesh government's industrial policies, including interest-free loans, subsidies of up to 50 per cent on machinery, the One District One Product (ODOP) scheme and the Centre's Khelo India initiative, the city is witnessing a surge in investment, production and employment, particularly among women. Read Full Story FROM CRICKET BATS TO MULTI-SPORTS MANUFACTURING While Meerut has traditionally been known for its wooden cricket bats, manufacturers are now producing a much wider range of sporting goods, including equipment for athletics, badminton, football, gymnastics, table tennis and carrom, besides plastic and fibre cricket bats. Industry representatives say the shift towards plastic bats has accelerated in recent years amid rising timber costs and increasing environmental concerns. Advances in manufacturing technology have also made plastic bats lighter and more comparable to wooden bats, boosting their popularity in indoor cricket, box cricket and tennis-ball cricket.
GOVT SCHEMES DRIVE EXPANSION Charanjeet Bhatia, owner of Buchi Sports, said Meerut and Jalandhar remain India's two biggest sports manufacturing centres, but Meerut's product basket has expanded significantly beyond cricket equipment. He said government support has played a key role in this transformation. According to Bhatia, manufacturers are eligible for subsidies of up to 50 per cent for installing new machinery, while interest-free loans have enabled many small businesses to modernise and expand. His company recently installed a plastic bat manufacturing unit after availing benefits under the subsidy scheme. He claimed that the number of sports manufacturing units in Meerut has grown from just four or five several years ago to nearly 5,000-7,000 large and small units today. Industry estimates place the sector's annual turnover at Rs 15,000-20,000 crore. His factory alone manufactures 8,000 to 10,000 plastic cricket bats every day, with demand continuing to rise across different formats of recreational cricket. KHELO INDIA GIVES INDUSTRY FRESH MOMENTUM Aditya Mahajan, owner of BDM Sports, said the government's Khelo India programme, along with the Uttar Pradesh government's industrial policies, has given Meerut's sports manufacturing sector a completely new identity.
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