Parliament Question: Developing Districts as Export Hubs

Government of India Ministry of Commerce and Industry Department of Commerce RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 854 ANSWERED ON 06/02/2026 DEVELOPING DISTRICTS AS EXPORT HUBS

854. SMT. MAYA NAROLIYA:

Will the Minister of COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY be pleased to state:

(a) the progress made so far under the “Districts as Export Hubs” initiative, which aims to connect agricultural districts to the national export value chain;

(b) the details of the districts identified for agricultural exports in Madhya Pradesh and the infrastructural gaps identified with regard to testing facilities, traceability, logistics, and market access in those districts; and

(c) whether Narmadapuram district, which is identified in the State's planning documents as a district with the potential for exporting crops such as Basmati rice, has been included under this initiative, and if so, the specific export facilitation measures proposed for the district? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY (SHRI JITIN PRASADA)

(a) The Districts as Export Hubs(DEH) initiative of the Directorate General of Foreign Trade

(DGFT), Department of Commerce, seeks to promote exports, manufacturing, and employment generation at the district level. The progress achieved under the initiative

includes:

Identification of export-potential products and services in 734 districts across the country;

Constitution of State Export Promotion Committees (SEPCs) and District Export Promotion Committees (DEPCs) in all 36 States/UTs;

Preparation of State Export Strategies in 28 States/UTs;

Preparation of District Export Action Plans for 590 districts.

DGFT Regional Authorities, in coordination with State Governments and stake holders, are undertaking regular export promotion, capacity-building, and outreach activities at the district level.

1(b) The list of districts in Madhya Pradesh where products and services have been identified under the Districts as Export Hubs initiative is attached as Annexure-I.

Based on deliberations of the District Export Promotion Committees, the key infrastructural gaps identified in the districts include inadequacies in cold-chain infrastructure (cold storages, pack houses, and reefer vans), limited availability of testing laboratories, supply- chain and logistics bottlenecks, power supply constraints, absence of Common Facility Centres (CFCs), and gaps in access to quality inputs, traceability systems, and market linkages.

(c) Narmadapuram district has been included under the Districts as Export Hubs initiative.

Under the District Export Action Plan, the District Export Promotion Committee of Narmadapuram has identified district-specific export opportunities and proposed focused facilitation measures, inter alia, including:

Promotion of value-added agricultural and GI-based products, including efforts for GI tagging of Kodo–Kutki;

Commodity aggregation and cluster-based approaches to enable scale and bulk exports;

Strengthening branding, design, and market access support through professional agencies and e-commerce platforms;

Capacity-building of exporters, MSMEs, and farmer groups through training and outreach programmes;

Creation of export-enabling infrastructure, including testing facilities, certification support, and a Common Facility Centre (CFC);

Improving logistics connectivity through partnerships with logistics providers and use of ICD and rail-based transport linkages; and Facilitating buyer–seller meets and market linkages to connect district producers with domestic and international markets.

DGFT Regional Authority, Bhopal, in coordination with the State Government and other stakeholders, is actively supporting export outreach and facilitation activities in the district.

2Annexure-I.

Annexure referred to in reply to part-(b) of Rajya Sabha Unstarred Question No 854 for answer on 06/02/2026 S.No District Products 1 Narmadapuram Clothes, Handicraft items, Basmati Rice 2 Agar Malwa Orange 3 Alirajpur Handmade jewellery, Corn, Nurjahan Mangoes, Musli 4 Anuppur Sesame seeds, Caustic soda, Strawberries, Kodo Kutki 5 Ashoknagar Chanderi sarees, Jewellery box 6 Balaghat Manganese, Bauxite, Ginger, Banana 7 Barwani Cotton, Chilli, Ginger, Banana 8 Betul Jaggery, Timber, Food Processing, Rice 9 Bhind Mustard, Chocolate, LEDs Pharma Products ,Heavy Electrical Goods & Turbines, Zari 10 Bhopal Zardosi, Jute Products Pomegranate, Banana and Banana fiber, Oilseeds, Food 11 Burhanpur Processing 12 Chhatarpur Handmade crafts 13 Chindwara Orange 14 Damoh Onion, Wooden furniture, Pulses 15 Datia Raw cotton and yarn, Black gram, Wheat 16 Dewas Pharma products, Machinery spares, Potato Dhar 17 FIBC, Plastic products, Automobiles, Garments

(Pithampur) Iron and bamboo handicrafts, Ayurvedic preparations, Gond 18 Dindori painting 19 Guna Jute bags, Minerals or Chemical Fertilizers, Coriander 20 Gwalior Potato, Durries, Rubber tyres, Transformer components 321 Harda Wheat Flour, Teak Wood, Mung Dal, Palmleaf articles 22 Indore Onion, Potato, Paper &Paper Products, Pharma, Garments Readymade Garments & Hosiery, Green Pea & Dal, Agro 23 Jabalpur Products, Marble Products 24 Jhabua Maize flour, Baskets made from bamboo, Neem, Safed Musli 25 Katni Bricks, Artificial jewellery 26 Khargone Pomegranate, Cottonraw, Chilly, Chickpeas, PP Bag 27 Khandwa Pomegranate, Onion 28 Mandla Kodo-Kutki, Dolomite Products, Tourism, Handicrafts 29 Mandsaur Onion, Garlic, Vegetables 30 Morena Wood-based, Metal sculptures, Edible oil 31 Narsinghpur Soya oil, Mango, Jaggery, Pital handicraft 32 Neemuch Coriander Seeds, Garlic, Ashwagandha, Leather belts 33 Niwari Glass fibres, Soya-bean oil and its fractions, Peanuts 34 Panna Crafts, Indian Gooseberry (Amla) 35 Raisen Rice & Agro products Dolomite, Sisalcraft, Steel sheets and non-alloy steel, 36 Rajgarh Orange 37 Ratlam Kabuli Chana, Groundnut, Cotton, Soya bean & its products Optical fibrecable, Hydro electric power turbine, Cement, 38 Rewa Turmeric 39 Sagar Onion, Tyres, Petro chemicals, Agricultural Equipment 40 Satna Footwear, Cement, Electric capacitor, Onion 41 Sehore Wheat Flour, Farm Equipment, Paneer, Textile 42 Seoni Black Stone, Rice, Khowa, Cotton 43 Shahdol Clay, Paper products, Turmeric 444 Shajapur Orange 45 Sheopur Injection moulded plastics, Honey, Guava 46 Shivpuri Iron works, Textiles, Forest produce, Agro produce, Peanuts 47 Sidhi Durries, Leather belts, Arhar Pulse, Mahua 48 Singrauli Water gel & emulsion explosives, Butter tree 49 Tikamgarh Bell Metal Ware of Datiaand Tikamgarh, Ceramic articles 50 Ujjain Crafts, Ceramic idols & sculptures, Onion 51 Umaria Bambooc rafts, Soya, Ecotourism, Butter tree Sharbati Wheat, Gram, Handloom Fabric, Jute, Agricultural 52 Vidisha Equipment ******* 5