{"id":360455,"date":"2026-04-09T20:08:46","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T14:38:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/?p=360455"},"modified":"2026-04-09T20:08:46","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T14:38:46","slug":"the-other-side-of-sport-mastering-manufacturing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/the-other-side-of-sport-mastering-manufacturing\/","title":{"rendered":"The other side of sport \u2014 mastering manufacturing"},"content":{"rendered":"

UPSC Syllabus: Gs Paper 3- <\/strong>Indian economy<\/p>\n

Introduction<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Sports in India is growing beyond cricket, with athletes like Neeraj Chopra and Lakshya Sen expanding its reach. However, the sports ecosystem is not only about players and viewership. Sports goods manufacturing is a key but ignored pillar.<\/strong> Despite strong cultural engagement, India contributes only 0.5% to the $50 billion global market<\/strong>, showing deep structural issues.<\/p>\n

Structure of India\u2019s Sports Goods Industry<\/strong><\/h2>\n
    \n
  1. Geographical concentration:<\/strong> Production is mainly located in Jalandhar and Meerut, contributing over 80% of output<\/strong>, showing limited regional spread.<\/li>\n
  2. MSME dominance and labour intensity:<\/strong> The sector is driven by MSMEs producing stitched balls, cricket gear, and accessories, making it highly labour-intensive.<\/li>\n
  3. Fragmented production system:<\/strong> Small-scale operations restrict scaling, technology adoption, and development of global brands.<\/li>\n
  4. Diversity in manufacturing processes:<\/strong> Each sport requires different materials and techniques, making policy design complex and often ineffective.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Major issues with India\u2019s Sports Goods Industry<\/strong><\/h2>\n
      \n
    1. Cost disadvantage leading to price gap:<\/strong> Higher input costs, inefficient logistics, and lack of economies of scale increase production cost by about 15%<\/strong>, making Indian products less competitive; for example, a football costs \u20b9100 in India compared to <\/strong>\u20b985\u201387 in competing countries<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
    2. Limited availability of advanced inputs:<\/strong> Key materials like specialised polymers, performance fabrics, and carbon composites are not widely produced domestically.<\/li>\n
    3. High import duties on inputs and machinery:<\/strong> Duties increase production costs and discourage investment in technology and diversification.<\/li>\n
    4. Logistics and location challenges:<\/strong> Manufacturing clusters in northern India increase export costs due to long distance from ports.<\/li>\n
    5. Infrastructure and compliance issues:<\/strong> Rising land prices, fragmented infrastructure, and delays due to compliance reduce efficiency.<\/li>\n
    6. High certification burden:<\/strong> Testing costs range from \u20b95 lakh to <\/strong>\u20b950 lakh per product<\/strong>, making compliance expensive for MSMEs.<\/li>\n
    7. Dependence on foreign testing facilities:<\/strong> Lack of domestic certification centres forces reliance on European labs, increasing cost and time.<\/li>\n
    8. Delay in innovation:<\/strong> Long certification timelines discourage experimentation and slow product development.<\/li>\n
    9. Weak global brand presence:<\/strong> India lacks strong international sports brands capable of commanding premium prices.<\/li>\n
    10. Low demand creation efforts:<\/strong> Limited marketing, weak global partnerships, and absence of athlete-brand linkages restrict global demand.<\/li>\n
    11. Focus on low-value manufacturing:<\/strong> Firms remain engaged in contract manufacturing instead of moving towards brand ownership.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      What should be done<\/strong><\/h2>\n
        \n
      1. Rationalisation of import duties:<\/strong> Reduce duties on specialised raw materials and advanced machinery to improve cost competitiveness.<\/li>\n
      2. Targeted fiscal support:<\/strong> Provide export-linked incentives, support certification costs, and promote participation in global trade platforms.<\/li>\n
      3. Leverage allied sectors:<\/strong> Use strengths in technical textiles, footwear, plastics, and light engineering to upgrade production capabilities.<\/li>\n
      4. Develop domestic certification ecosystem:<\/strong> Establish internationally recognised testing centres to reduce cost and improve time-to-market.<\/li>\n
      5. Strengthen domestic raw material base:<\/strong> Invest in production of advanced composites and performance fabrics to reduce import dependence.<\/li>\n
      6. Promote global brand building:<\/strong> Encourage domestic firms to move towards original brand ownership through coordinated national campaigns.<\/li>\n
      7. Use athlete and institutional support:<\/strong> Involve athletes, federations, and industry bodies to promote Indian sports goods globally.<\/li>\n
      8. Strategic use of international events:<\/strong> Link procurement with upcoming global sporting events to create demand and visibility for domestic products.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n

        India\u2019s sports goods sector remains stuck in low-value global supply chains despite strong potential. Structural issues, cost disadvantages, and weak branding limit growth.<\/strong> A shift toward large-scale manufacturing, domestic innovation, and global brand creation<\/strong> is essential. With the right strategy and policy support, India can become a major player in the global sports economy.<\/p>\n

        Question for practice:<\/strong><\/h2>\n

        Examine the structural challenges and growth potential of India\u2019s sports goods manufacturing sector, and suggest measures needed to enhance its global competitiveness.<\/p>\n

        Source<\/strong>: The Hindu<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        UPSC Syllabus: Gs Paper 3- Indian economy Introduction Sports in India is growing beyond cricket, with athletes like Neeraj Chopra and Lakshya Sen expanding its reach. However, the sports ecosystem is not only about players and viewership. Sports goods manufacturing is a key but ignored pillar. Despite strong cultural engagement, India contributes only 0.5% to… Continue reading The other side of sport \u2014 mastering manufacturing<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10320,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1230],"tags":[216,8184,10498],"class_list":["post-360455","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-9-pm-daily-articles","tag-gs-paper-3","tag-indian-economy","tag-the-hindu","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","views":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/360455","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10320"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=360455"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/360455\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=360455"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=360455"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=360455"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}