India expands district-led agricultural export strategy

India is expanding its Districts as Export Hubs (DEH) initiative to connect local producers with international markets. Building on the One District One Product (ODOP) framework, the strategy treats individual districts as specialized export-planning units to move trade activity beyond major industrial clusters and port cities into rural areas.

District Export Promotion Committees are responsible for identifying products with overseas potential, addressing logistical bottlenecks, and creating District Export Action Plans. As of March 2026, draft plans were prepared for 590 districts, with 249 formally adopted. Key agricultural products identified for promotion include bananas and Bharit brinjal from Jalgaon, Mandarin oranges from Meghalaya, and rice, jowar, and maize from Bastar.

The program focuses on improving infrastructure, testing, packaging, branding, and certification. It aims to integrate farmers, Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), and MSMEs into global value chains. Since June 2026, the initiative has moved to an outcome-oriented phased implementation across 27 States and Union Territories, supported by regional authorities and partner agencies to increase new exporter registrations and overall export values.