Eyeing Rs 3 trillion worth of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) exports in the coming years, Uttar Pradesh is looking to catalyse the sector, which is among the top job creators.
To achieve its goal, the Yogi Adityanath government is planning to transform each of its 75 districts as local export hubs to compete in the global markets.
The state will promote ecommerce for MSME products, especially falling under the purview of the flagship One District One Product (ODOP) scheme.
Meanwhile, the state MSME department will send officials to Tamil Nadu and Odisha to study the raw material banks set up in these states for replication.
The MSME sector contributes 60 percent to UP’s annual industrial output. The current level of UP MSME exports are estimated at more than Rs 1.5 trillion.
UP is known for unique traditional industries such as Varanasi for Banarasi silk sari, Bhadohi (carpet), Lucknow (chikan), Kanpur (leather goods), Agra (leather footwear), Aligarh (lock), Moradabad (brassware), Meerut (sports goods), Saharanpur (wooden products) etc.
In 2018, UP launched the ODOP scheme to revive traditional handicrafts and indigenous industries.
The state government has also asked commercial banks to increase the credit flow in different sectors including industry.