Nagpur: City’s gold and jewellery industry is preparing for a new phase of local manufacturing and exports, with a ₹25 crore Orange City Gold Cluster planned in Suryanagar. It will provide common production, testing, design and training facilities to jewellery manufacturers and artisans from across Vidarbha.The cluster will be developed on 12,000 square feet in the Suryanagar Small Industries Area near Bhandara Road, with a future expansion plan to 24,000 square feet. Construction is expected to begin within the next six months, according to Rajesh Rokde, president of the All India Gem & Jewellery Domestic Council and the Orange City Gold Cluster.The project will include a common facility centre, testing laboratory, tool room, design centre, packaging services and a learning and training institute. Those are intended to reduce the industry’s dependence on Mumbai for specialised services, potentially saving local businesses both time and costs.Around 2,000 jewellers, goldsmiths and artisans from Nagpur and other parts of Vidarbha are expected to benefit directly from the cluster. The region’s annual gold business is estimated at ₹70,000 to ₹75,000 crore, according to the information provided for the project.“The main objective is to make direct exports of jewellery from Vidarbha possible,” Rokde said.The project is being established with the support of the MSME departments of the central and Maharashtra govts. Twenty leading gold and jewellery businesses from Vidarbha have come together to establish the cluster.The proposed centre is also expected to help local manufacturers move from fragmented production towards a more organised ecosystem, with facilities for design, testing, tooling, packaging and skill development available under one roof.Rokde said the cluster was intended to enable local production for global markets. He said the recent trade agreement with the United Kingdom could also create opportunities for Nagpur’s jewellery industry.The project is ultimately aimed at strengthening Vidarbha’s jewellery manufacturing base and creating the infrastructure required for the region to participate more directly in international jewellery trade.
