Guide
About Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad is the largest city in Gujarat and the main commercial centre of the state, which is governed from neighbouring Gandhinagar. Provisional figures from the 2011 census put the population of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation area at 5,577,940, and the urban agglomeration at 6,357,693.
The city built its fortune on cotton. Its first textile mill was set up in the mid-nineteenth century, and by the middle of the twentieth century dozens of mills had earned it the nickname "Manchester of India". Many mills closed in the 1980s, but the old city's cloth markets remain busy, and other industries, notably pharmaceuticals, have grown alongside them.
Economy and main industries
Textiles are still a defining part of Ahmedabad's economy, even after the decline of the large composite mills, when around 50,000 workers lost their jobs in 1983–84 alone. The industry continues in a smaller form, alongside a large wholesale cloth trade. The Ahmedabad Textile Mills' Association continues to represent the sector.
The city is also known for pharmaceuticals, and manufacturers operate from industrial estates including those run by the Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC), such as Odhav. GIFT City, the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City planned during the Vibrant Gujarat summit of 2007, lies between Ahmedabad's airport and Gandhinagar and is aimed at financial services firms.
Main business areas and markets
The old walled city is where most wholesale trade happens. Lal Darwaja is one of Ahmedabad's oldest and busiest textile markets, known for Bandhani, Patola and other regional fabrics. Manek Chowk is mainly a jewellery market by day, with wholesale fabric and dress material shops nearby, and turns into a well-known food market at night.
Kalupur is the centre of the wholesale cloth trade, with Maskati Market and New Cloth Market among the main buildings, and Sindhi Market selling bedsheets, curtains and dress materials. Gheekanta is the city's wholesale market for plastics. Relief Road has a cluster of electronics shops.
To the east, Naroda has a wholesale bicycle market and a large vegetable market, and Odhav is home to a GIDC industrial estate with small and medium manufacturers.
Textiles and the cloth trade
Buyers of fabric in Ahmedabad usually deal with wholesalers in Kalupur and Lal Darwaja, who in turn source from processing houses and weavers in the city's industrial areas and elsewhere in Gujarat. Most shops in these markets sell by the bale or by the metre in bulk; retail sales are less common in the core wholesale buildings.
Finding businesses in Ahmedabad
Common searches in Ahmedabad include textile and fabric wholesalers, garment manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies, chemical suppliers, plastic goods dealers, and engineering units in GIDC estates. Jewellers, caterers and event suppliers are also widely sought. IndiaYP lists Ahmedabad businesses by category and locality.
Frequently asked questions
What is the STD code for Ahmedabad?
Ahmedabad landlines use the STD code 079. From abroad, dial +91 79 before the number.
Where are the main cloth markets in Ahmedabad?
Kalupur, with Maskati Market and New Cloth Market, and Lal Darwaja are the main wholesale cloth areas.
Is Ahmedabad the capital of Gujarat?
No. Gandhinagar is the state capital, but Ahmedabad is Gujarat's largest city and main commercial centre.
Where is GIFT City?
GIFT City is near Gandhinagar, about 8 km from the state capital and close to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport.