Production in the Indus Valley Civilization..

Agrarian base

A stable system of agriculture, supplemented by animal husbandry, hunting and plant gathering, provided economic sustenance to urban networks.

Well at Indus Valley Civilisation site, Rupnagar,
Punjab / Harvinder Chandigarh / CC-BY-SA 4.0

A ploughed field was revealed through excavation at Kalibangan. The Kalibangan field contained two sets of furrows crossing each other at right angles, thus forming a grid pattern, and it is likely that two crops were raised in the same field. In modern fields in that zone, mustard is grown in one set of furrows and horse gram in the other. Mixed cropping is suggested by other evidence as well as, for instance, in the mixture of wheat and barley at Indus sites. Such mixed cropping is practiced even today in many parts of north India as an insurance against weather hazards so that if wheat fails to ripen, the hardier barley is sure to yield a crop.

Cultivated crops included wheat, barley, rice, millets, peas, lentils, chickpeas, sesame, flax, legumes and cotton. Cattle meat was the favourite animal food of the Indus people and cattle bones have been found in large quantities at all sites that have yielded bones. In addition to their meat, cattle and buffaloes must have supported agricultural operations and served as draught animals. Mutton was also popular and bones of sheep/goat have been found at almost all Indus sites. Hunting of animals was also carried out. 

Manufacturing and Trade

Bullock cart, 2000 BC / Yann / CC-BY-SA 4.0

Inhabitants of the ancient Indus River Valley developed new techniques in metallurgy—the science of working with copper, bronze, lead, and tin. Harappans also made intricate handicrafts using semi-precious gemstone Carnelian. They worked on shells, and shells used in their crafts have origins from as far away as the coast of modern-day Oman.

Several constructions have been identified as workshops or industrial quarters and some of the buildings might have been warehouses. An Impressive workshop, recognized as Bead Making Factory, was found at Channu Daro city, which included a furnace. Shell bangles, beads of many materials, stealite seals and metal works were also manufactured at Channu Daro. Harappan seals were made generally in bigger towns which were involved with administrative network.

Statue production, and skilled metal working (in both bronze and precious metals) has been uncovered in Rakhigarhi. A gold foundry with about 3000 unpolished semi-precious stones has been found here.

Mold of Seal, Indus valley civilization, 2500 BC
Ismoon / CC-BY-SA1.0

Signs of flourishing trade can be seen by the excavation of stamps, jewellery and 'chert' weights. 

Trade focused on importing raw materials to be used in Harappan city workshops, including minerals from Iran and Afghanistan, lead and copper from other parts of India, jade from China, and cedar wood floated down rivers from the Himalayas and Kashmir. Other trade goods included terracotta pots, gold, silver, metals, beads, flints for making tools, seashells, pearls, and colored gemstones, such as lapis lazuli and turquoise.