workforce, has left between 2005–2008, leaving about 500,000. Only after a July 2008 strike did the workers obtain a 20% salary raise, their first in a decade. Most of the diamonds are polished in the Varachha area.
Textiles
Surat is known for producing world-class synthetic textiles.".
Surti households have been declared the most prosperous in the country by the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) and Future Capital Research's Roopa Purushothaman in their latest study. The average annual household income (AHI) in the diamond city is Rs 457,000 – the highest in the country. The study says that Surat's AHI is almost equal to China's per capita income of 2007 and double the national per capita income. Even its GDP growth of 11.5 per cent for the many consecutive years is the fastest in the country. Recently Surat's diamond and textile industry faced the recession due to slowdown in US economy but is recovering. Jari, the oldest business in Surat, and 80000 embroidery units make the city a major center of the embroidery industry.
Other industries
Surat also has many industrial Giants such as KRIBHCO mammoth fertiliser plant, Reliance petrochemical plant, Essar's 10 million tonne steel plant, Power plant, port and Shipping facilities, L&T's heavy engineering unit, GSEG, gas processing plant of ONGC, GAIL (Gas Authority India Ltd.), Niko Resources Ltd(MNC A Canadian based company Olpad, Surat, Gujarat Type of Project: Exploration and Production Oil & Gas), NTPC -KGPP gas based power plant, Shell LNG terminal, AHPPL-Adani Hazira Port Pvt Ltd All these at Hazira and ABG Shipyard (Shipbuilding Yard) and UltraTech Cement (grinding Unit) at Magdalla port where as Torrent Power has mega power plant and GIPCL has got a huge lignite power plant in kamrej area. L&T colony
