The story
Dadra and Nagar Haveli was a forested Portuguese enclave that joined India in 1954. From the 1980s, tax holidays for the union territory, closeness to Mumbai and to Gujarat's petrochemical belt, and cheap land drew yarn, plastic and engineering units to Silvassa and nearby estates. Large polyester spinners and texturisers, plastic moulders and garment exporters now work here alongside thousands of small units.
In numbers
There were 2,991 registered units in Dadra and Nagar Haveli with employment of 64,578 (up to 2010-11); these included 778 plastic units and 483 textile units.
Brief Industrial Profile of Dadra and Nagar Haveli District, MSME-DI (Ministry of MSME) · 2012Major exportable items: readymade garments, texturised yarn, plastic moulded items, copper rods, pencils, pens and other stationery.
Brief Industrial Profile of Dadra and Nagar Haveli District, MSME-DI (Ministry of MSME) · 2012Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu accounts for 80% of India's texturising yarn production and contributes 28% of India's plastic production.
IBEF – Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu infographic, April 2026 · 2026
Ways in for a newcomer
- Job-work weaving, knitting and garmenting using local yarn
- Plastic moulding and packaging for FMCG brands
- Tool rooms for plastic moulds
- Logistics and warehousing on the Mumbai–Ahmedabad corridor
Problems the cluster faces
- Loss of old tax benefits after GST
- Competition from Gujarat's Vapi and Surat
- Labour availability and housing
- Pollution control in plastics and chemicals
Businesses to start here
Plastic Injection Moulding (Containers) →Blow Moulded Plastic Containers →Laminated Flexible Packaging →Cotton Yarn Dyeing (Hank and Package Dyeing) →Readymade Garments Unit (Baby Rompers) →