Bicycle manufacturing in India's northern state of Punjab is on the rise. According to the latest figures provided by industry sources, around 50,000 bicycles are manufactured every day in Ludhina City alone.

"Our company started with manufacturing 25 bicycles a day in 1956 and today we manufacture around 20,000 bicycles a day," Ashok Bawa, senior general manager for publicity of Hero Cycles said.

Hero Cycles Ltd. is one of the leading bicycle manufacturers in India.

The price of an ordinary bicycle in the Indian market is 44 U.S. dollars but high-end bicycles are sold at 288 US dollars apiece.

Of late some high-end bicycles, which are imported, could cost up to 2,800 U.S. dollars apiece.

The city has around 4,000 small, medium and big enterprises that are associated with the manufacturing of bicycles and bicycle parts.

Industry sources said that around 300,000 people in the city are dependent for their livelihood from bicycle manufacturing and trading.

"The bicycle manufacturing in Ludhina is 1.12 billion U.S. dollars industry," said Charanjit Singh Vishvkarma, president of the United Cycle and Parts Manufacturers Association (UCPMA) Ludhina. "Unfortunately, over the years our exports have decreased and imports increased."

The industry is importing spokes, baskets, hub cones, chains, chain wheels and cranks, steel balls, plastic handle levers, saddle parts, pumps and cables from overseas.

"These items are available at higher prices in domestic market so people import them at much cheaper rates," said Vishvkarma.

He said that 94 percent of the cycles manufactured in city are exported to other states and beyond and only 4 percent are sold in Punjab state.

"People here are not using enough bicycles because they have money to buy four-wheelers," he said. "I wish people would switch to bicycle as a mode of transport to have clean air and an eco- friendly environment."

Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are two Indian states where bicycles are in great demand, Vishvkarma added.

Source: Xinhua News Agency