Paschim Bardhaman is West Bengal's coal-and-steel industrial heartland around Asansol, Durgapur and Raniganj, but it is also the home of the state's ODOP product: the Asansol-Durgapur refractory brick industry, a cluster of kiln-based manufacturers firing fireclay and alumina bricks for steel and cement plants. Local markets add a food-and-craft layer — mawa sweets from Asansol's sweet shops, the Durgapur panjabi (shirt) tailoring trade, and terracotta handicrafts — while the Durgapur agricultural subdivision grows the paddy, potato and mustard that feed the district's large urban population.
