The staple south Indian breakfast of steaming hot idlis or crispy dosas with chutney has created and sustained over the years hundreds of small-scale and cottage industries in Coimbatore.
The batter for idli, dosa and vada was earlier ground manually with the grinding stone, a relic now in most households, where the stone has been replaced by wet grinders.
The first mechanical wet grinder (belt-driven) was developed in 1950 by P. Sabapathy in Coimbatore for use in hotels. The concept caught on, and wet grinders came to stay. They have also evolved through the decades to be available in different versions — conventional, tilting, and tabletop — that are used in both, houses and hotel industry, says R. Soundarakumar, president of Coimbatore Wet Grinder and Accessories Manufacturers Association (COWMA).
The ₹1,000-crore industry in Coimbatore has almost 1,200 units that are into manufacture of wet grinders or spares, both in the organised and unorganised sectors. Nearly 120 units make the end product and 10 of them market the grinders under their brand names. The others supply to larger wet grinder manufacturers. “Even if the grinders are made in any other State, the components and stone are supplied from here,” adds C. Pandian, secretary of the Association.
Availability of the grinding stone nearby, presence of foundries, and engineering skills of the workforce have made Coimbatore the hub for wet grinder production. The grinding stones were sourced mainly from Uthukuli. The table top grinder units started using stones from Namakkal and now stones are also available in small quantities in Coimbatore, according to C. Balachandran, treasurer of COWMA.
“The stones used in the grinders are unique as they can be machined, and yet will not break easily. The rough surface of the stone helps grind the batter. In 2006, we got the ‘Coimbatore Wetgrinder’ Geographical Indication as the product was made only in Coimbatore and also because of the stone,” he adds.
With financial support from the Central and State governments, a cluster project was implemented. The 13-year-old cluster has common facilities for stamping.
About 80% of the market for these industries is in Tamil Nadu, with the tabletop grinders constituting 70%-90% sales of domestic grinders. For south Indians, a grinder is an essential kitchen appliance and even if they move abroad they take a grinder with them. There are some brands that have dealer outlets abroad, including in the United States of America. The domestic wet grinders have become smaller in size and the shape has changed. But the purpose of use remains the same.
The recent years have, however, brought challenges to the industry. When the State government distributed grinders free of cost, the industry in Coimbatore supplied 1.75 crore grinders in five years (2011-2015). It is now using just 10% of the capacity available.
“After the distribution of wet grinders as freebies, the Tamil Nadu market dropped. The food habits are also changing and more customers are buying packed, ready-to-cook batter. The GST rate structure, in which the raw materials attract 18% duty and the grinder comes under the 5% slab, is an issue. For the last one year, the ban on quarrying of stone at Uthukuli has become a major concern to the industry,” points out Mr. Soundarakumar.
The industry is looking for relief measures from the government, especially for stone quarrying. A legal battle has brought to an end unlicensed quarrying at Uthukululi in Tiruppur district. The owners need to pay a penalty to reopen the quarries, and for some it runs to lakhs of rupees. “We need an amendment to the respective Act or a special permission to quarry stones used by the food industry. Some grinder manufacturers are starting to use refurbished stones,” he said.
