Lok Sabha Question No. 246 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-02
Subject: Direct Export Action Plan
Ministry: COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
Asked by: Shri Rajesh Verma, Smt. Shambhavi, Dr. D. Purandeswari, Dr. Lata Wankhede, Shri Atul Garg

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No.246 TO BE ANSWERED ON  02.12.2025

## DIRECT EXPORT ACTION PLAN

246. Shri Atul Garg:

Smt. Shambhavi:

Shri Rajesh Verma:

Dr. D. Purandeswari:

Dr. Lata Wankhede:

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

- (a) the number of districts that have finalized District Export Action Plans with the details of the quantum of exports recorded from District as Export Hub- notified products during the  last  five  years  state,  district  and  year-wise  particularly  in  Ghaziabad,  Khagaria, Samastipur, Rajahmundry and Sagar Parliamentary constituency;
- (b)  the  total  number  of  product-service  clusters  have  been  identified  under  DEH initiative, and their export performance benchmarks state, district and year-wise;
- (c)  the  details  of  the  steps  that  have  been  taken  by  the  Government  to  build  the institutional and logistics capacity of districts to support local exporters;
- (d)  the  details  of  the  capacity-building  initiatives  have  been  launched  to  support  firsttime exporters, artisans, women entrepreneurs and rural cooperatives under the District as Export Hub Initiative ;
- (e) whether the Government in considering to explore integration of the DEH initiative with platforms like ONDC, e Commerce marketplaces, and India Post Export Services, if so, the details thereof.

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY (SHRI JITIN PRASADA)

- (a), (b) and (c): Under  the  Districts  as  Export  Hubs  initiative  of  DGFT,  export promotion activities are being decentralised to make the districts active stakeholders in boosting  the  export  growth  of  identified  products  and  services  from  the  districts, leveraging their natural competitive advantages. An institutional mechanism has been set up in all States/UTs by forming State Export Promotion Committees (SEPCs) and

District  Export  Promotion  Committees  (DEPCs)  at  the  district  level.  The  initiative  has identified  export  potential  in  734  districts  across  the  country,  spanning  critical  sectors like  agriculture,  toys,  and  GI  products.  District  Export  Action  Plans  (DEAPs)  detailing existing  supply  chain  bottlenecks  and  possible  interventions  to  mitigate  gaps  in  the export  of  the  above-identified  products  and  services  have  been  prepared  for  590 districts.

The  government  maintains  record  of  total  exports  from  India.  The  state-wise  and district-wise export data are not validated by the DGCIS as they are based on the stateof-origin code reported by exporters on shipping bills and as received from the customs department.  The  state-wise  data,  as  declared  by  the  exporters  and  received  from customs, is available on https://niryat.gov.in/

A  range  of  measures  has  been  undertaken  to  enhance  institutional  capacity  and logistics readiness at the district level to support local exporters. These include:

1. Strengthening institutional mechanisms: Operationalization and regular functioning of State Export Promotion Committees (SEPCs) and District Export Promotion  Committees  (DEPCs)  to  oversee  district-specific  export  facilitation initiatives, review constraints, and recommend appropriate interventions.
2. Improvement  of  data  systems:  Enabling  district-level  capture  of  export  data  to assist  in  evidence-based  policymaking,  more  granular  monitoring  of  export trends, and identification of emerging sectors with export potential.
3. Logistics  and  supply-chain  facilitation:  Coordination  with  concerned  Ministries, State agencies and logistics service providers to improve last-mile connectivity, warehousing, cold-chain facilities, testing laboratories, certification infrastructure and other trade-related enablers identified by districts.
4. Product-specific interventions: Support for quality enhancement, standardization, value-addition and compliance with domestic and international standards, as per the requirement of identified district products or services.
5. Stakeholder engagement: Regular consultations with exporters, industry associations, MSMEs, artisans' groups and other local stakeholders to address operational challenges and promote awareness of trade facilitation measures.

(d) To empower first-time exporters, artisans, women entrepreneurs and rural producer groups under the DEH initiative, several capacity-building and handholding activities have been undertaken in partnership with State Governments, trade bodies and field formations. These include:

- Outreach and sensitisation programmes focusing on export procedures, documentation, quality standards and compliance requirements.
- Training modules on packaging, branding, digital catalogue preparation, marketing and utilisation of e-commerce channels.
- Skill  enhancement  workshops  tailored  to  the  needs  of  artisans,  weavers, agricultural  clusters,  rural  cooperatives  and  micro-enterprises  associated  with district-identified products.
- Knowledge dissemination through online platforms and district-level information systems developed under DEH to provide exporters with guidance on product-

wise  export  potential,  regulatory  norms,  market  access  opportunities  and  trade facilitation schemes.

- Collaboration with industry and academia to improve the competitiveness, design capabilities and market orientation of local producer groups.

(e)  The  DEH  initiative  continues  to  explore  opportunities  for  strengthening  market access  for  district-identified  products  through  improved  digital  and  logistics  linkages. Engagements with digital commerce platforms, logistics providers and sectoral service platforms  form  part  of  the  broader  effort  to  enhance  marketing  avenues,  promote integration of small  producers  with  wider supply chains  and  facilitate  smoother movement  of  goods.  Such  collaborative  efforts  are  undertaken  in  consultation  with relevant  Ministries,  State  Governments  and  partner  institutions,  keeping  in  view  the evolving requirements of exporters and the objective of enabling districts to participate more effectively in domestic and global markets.

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