Government Expands DEH Initiative to Boost District-Level Export Competitiveness: Minister
New Delhi:
Port Wings News Network:
Under the Districts as Export Hubs (DEH) initiative, mechanisms in the form of State Export Promotion Committees (SEPC) and District Export Promotion Committees (DEPC) have been constituted in all 36 States/UTs.
While tabling a written reply in the Lok Sabha on 24 March, Jitin Prasada, Minister of State for Ministry of Commerce & Industry, stated that Draft District Export Action Plans (DEAPs) of 590 districts have been prepared, out of which 249 have been formally notified by the respective DEPCs.
Specific products with export potential identified for the requested districts/states include:
Sabarkantha (Gujarat): Ceramic & Tiles, Potato.
Aravalli (Gujarat): Minerals, Agro-processing, Glass and Tiles.
Jalgaon (Maharashtra): Jalgaon Banana, Jalgaon Bharit Brinjal.
Madhya Pradesh: Products identified across all 52 districts, such as onions and Pharma in Indore, and Oranges in Agar Malwa.
Chhattisgarh: Products identified across districts include Rice, Maize, and Mango in Raipur, and Bastar Iron Craft in Bastar.
Jharkhand: Products identified across districts include Bamboo Craft, Forest Produce, and Vegetables.
The DEH initiative has identified products and services with export potential in all districts across the country, including GI products, agricultural clusters, and toy clusters.
Institutional mechanisms in the form of State Export Promotion Committees (SEPCs) at the State/UT level and District Export Promotion Committees (DEPCs) at the district level have been constituted to facilitate export promotion and address bottlenecks affecting export growth. Other steps include organizing Outreach Events across various regions to build awareness and address exporters’ concerns.
The District as Exports Hub initiative is supporting local exporters/manufacturers to scale and find potential buyers outside India, with the aim of promoting exports, manufacturing, and the services industry in the district.
This is intended to raise awareness and commitment to exports at the district level build capacity to create new exporters, and identify new markets for the focused products and services.
This empowers MSMEs, farmers and small-scale industries to benefit from export opportunities in the overseas markets.
This decentralised and focused approach shifts the focus to district-led export growth for self-sufficiency and self-reliance by providing a global platform for products and services from the districts.
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