The government has expanded the Districts as Export Hubs initiative to strengthen district level export competitiveness across the country. Institutional mechanisms in the form of State Export Promotion Committees and District Export Promotion Committees have been constituted in all 36 States and UTs to facilitate export promotion and resolve bottlenecks. Draft District Export Action Plans for 590 districts have been prepared and 249 of these have been formally notified by the respective district committees.

Specific products and services with export potential have been identified at district level, including ceramic and tiles and potato in Sabarkantha, and mineral and agro processing products in Aravalli. The initiative also highlights horticultural and processed food items such as the Jalgaon banana and local brinjal variety in Jalgaon, as well as onions and pharmaceuticals in Indore and oranges in Agar Malwa. Several districts in Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand were mapped for rice, maize, mango, Bastar iron craft, bamboo craft and forest produce.

The data and supporting documentation are available on national portals such as niryat.gov.in and dgciskol.gov.in to ensure transparency and access for potential exporters and stakeholders. The Department of Commerce has also published a consolidated district level list on the DGFT content portal for reference. The decentralised approach aims to raise awareness, build capacity to create new exporters and identify markets outside India.

The initiative is intended to empower micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), farmers and small scale industries by enabling them to scale production and access overseas buyers through focused district level support and outreach events. State and district committees will facilitate capacity building to improve quality standards, link producers with markets and address procedural bottlenecks affecting exports. The Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Jitin Prasada, informed Lok Sabha that the programme seeks to shift the focus to district led export growth and provide a global platform for local products and services.