Lakhimpur Kheri district is situated about 134 km to the north of Lucknow and is the largest district in Uttar Pradesh, India, with a total area of 7,680 square kilometres on the border with Nepal. Lakhimpur Kheri district is a part of Lucknow division.

The early history of Lakhimpur Kheri district is obscure, but it has many ancient ruins, and several places are associated with episodes in the Mahabharata. Kheri is a town, 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) from Lakhimpur. Literatures suggest that the name derives from the khair trees that once covered large tracts in the area . District Lakhimpur Kheri has been distributed administratively in 7 Tehsil viz. Mohammadi, Gola, Lakhimpur, Dhaurhara, Nidhasan, Palia, & Mitauli 15 Blocks Mohammadi, Pasgawan, Mitauli, Bankeganj, Kumbhi (Gola), Bijua, Lakhimpur, Bejham, Phool Behar, Nakaha, Rania Behar, Thaurhara, Isa Nagar, Nidhasan, & Palia, 6 Nagar Panchayat, 4 Nagar Palika, 156 Panchayat samiti, 995 Gram Panchayat & 1797 revenue village. The total population of the district as per 2011 census is 40.21 lakhs out of which 21.23 lakhs are male and 18.98 Lakhs are females. As per census 2011, Kheri district ranked 14th in terms of population in the state of Uttar Pradesh with population density of 520/ Sq. Km. Lakhimpur Kheri is a forest dominated District having 1,64,793 Hectare land as forest area which is 21.05% of total land.1 Sagaun, Sakh, Shisham, Khair & other various types of Trees are available in the forest. Khas, Kathal, Dharti ke Phool, Safed Musali, Pipali, Bamboo, Bent etc. are the small forest products which are available from the forest. The district is famous for Dudhwa National Park which is the only national park in Uttar Pradesh and home to large number of rare and endangered species including tigers, leopards, swamp deer, hispid hares and Bengal floricans.

The Latitude of Lakhimpur Kheri is 27.6 to 28.6 (North) and longitude of Lakhimpur Kheri is 80.34 to 81.30 (East). The district is surrounded by Bahraich on the east, on the west by Shahjahanpur and Pilibhit, on the north by territory of Nepal and on the south by Sitapur and Hardoi. 10 rivers flow across district namely, Sharda, Ghagra, Koriyala, UII, Sarayan, Chauka, kathana, Sarayu, Gomti and Mohana.

Topography of District Lakhimpur comprises mainly four types of soil- sandy, alluvial soil, smooth & Domat. Geographically District can be divided in to two parts-(i) Low land (Tarai) and (ii) Upper Land (uparhar). Sandy soil is available in the bank of rivers and nearby areas. Soil of Tarai areas is clay & in dark color which is vary suitable for growing of Rice & Sugar cane. Soil of Bankeganj, Mohammadi, Kumbhi (Gola), Mitauli, Behjam & Lakhimpur Blocks is normally Domat. Important rivers flowing in the District are Ghaghara, Saryu, Sharda, Kodiyala,Ull, Gomti, Kathina, & Mohan. Length of main rivers flowing in the District is 1033Km. The highest recorded elevation is 147m. above sea level at Lakhimpur Kheri.

Existing States of Industrial areas in the district Lakhimpur Kheri.As given in the following table, MSME industries across the sectors of food/agro-based industries, hosiery & garments, wood products, non-metallic mineral based, paper products and printing, etc. are the key economy drivers of the district from the manufacturing sector. Similarly, repairing & services, hotel & restaurant, IT & electronic services, educational institutions, other different services and job work are the key economy drivers of the district from the service sector. Below table is divided into two parts viz: manufacturing sector and service sector:

Out of total population of 4,021,243 (2011 census), 1,264,718 are working population. Around 68.55% of the population are non-working. Out of total working population, 12.84% are cultivators, 10.24% are agricultural labourers and only 6.44% working in other industry. This indicates that cultivation and agriculture is the main source of income in the district.

The total export from Lakhimpur Kheri is approximately INR 247.10 Crore for the period September 2020 to November 2021. The following table depicts the value of export of seven major products from Lakhimpur Kheri:

Since long time jaggery is used as traditional sweetener and utilized in villages. It is prepared from sugarcane and certain species of palm in India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Africa, Pakistan, China, Brazil, Indonesia, and many other countries. At the beginning of 20th century, prior to introduction of modern sugar industry, whole sugarcane was used for jaggery making in rural areas.
Jaggery units are mainly located in Pasgawan, Mohammadi, Bankeganj, Dhaurhara and Behjam area. Apart from this, the other locations are mentioned in the below table. Highest concentration of jaggery units is in Pasgawan block of Lakhimpur Kheri district. Best quality of jaggery is found in Behjam because of highest recovery from sugarcane. There are 663 Vertical Roller Kolhus and 30 Flat (small) Kolhus operating apart from 26 licensed crushers. Most of the units are scattered and spread in different areas/blocks. There are approximately 10,000 people working in these Kolhus.

Lakhimpur Kheri is one of the famous Jaggery clusters in Uttar Pradesh accounting for a reasonable amount of consumption for jaggery. In Lakhimpur Kheri, products like Jaggery powder, jaggery sweets, etc. Jaggery is produced in different forms viz; solid, liquid, and granular form. These products are sold based on the requirement and availability. There are no defined criteria for producing these products.
Sugar: Currently, about 110 countries produce sugar from either cane or beet, and eight countries produce sugar from both cane and beet. Sugarcane, on average, accounts for 80% of global sugar production. Last October/September season the major sugar producing countries (India, Brazil, EU-28, Thailand, China, USA, Russia, Mexico, Pakistan, Australia) accounted for nearly 70% of global output.

The following are the key products manufactured in the cluster: Solid Jaggery The filtered cane juice was pumped into open pans kept on triple pan furnace and heated with the bagasse as fuel. Powder Jaggery The process of making granular jaggery is similar up to concentration. The concentrating slurry is rubbed with wooden scrapper, for formation of grains. The granular jaggery is then cooled and sieved. Less than 3 mm sized crystals are found to be better for quality granular jaggery. ;
Liquid Jaggery It is an intermediate product obtained during concentration of purified sugarcane juice during jaggery making and is semi liquid syrup like product. Sugar: Sugar crops offer production alternatives to food, such as livestock feed, fibre, and energy, particularly biofuels (sugar-based ethanol) and co-generation of electricity (cane bagasse). Sugarcane is regarded as one of the most significant and efficient sources of biomass for biofuel production. A wide range of environmental and social issues relate to sugar production and processing, and sugar crop growers, processors, plus energy and food companies, are seeking ways to address concerns related to sugar production, biofuels, and sustainability

The process for obtaining district specific GI tag for jaggery products of Lakhimpur Kheri is yet to be initiated.;

Various support institutions like District Industries and Export Promotion Center, District Khandsari Department, Krishi Vigyan Kendra established by Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR), District Khandsari Department, District Sugarcane Department, Financial Institutions like Banks and NBFCs etc. are present in the district to provide support. Office of DIEPC, District Khandsari Department and District Sugarcane Department are in the city. Krishi Vigyan Kendra is located about 40 Km from the district Head Quarter;

The following table lists the HS codes under which the products are exported from the district:;

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The export scenario of India and Uttar Pradesh have been analysed basis the export statistics of HS codes mentioned above under which Jaggery products and sugar are exported. Alongside are the key facts pertaining to the analysed product codes.;

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World sugar trade averages about 64 mln tonnes/year. Raw sugar accounts for around 60% of internationally trades volumes. Although many countries produce sugar, top five exporters (Brazil, Thailand, EU, Australia, India) were responsible on average for 70% of the world trade in 2016-18. Brazil, as the largest producing and exporting country in the world, dominates world trade, accounting for about 45% of global exports. Indonesia, China the United States were world’s largest importing nations in 2018. The export scenario of World and India have been analysed basis the export statistics of HS code 170199 (Cane or beet sugar and chemically pure sucrose, in solid form (excluding cane and beet sugar containing added flavouring or colouring and raw sugar) under which Sugar is exported from Lakhimpur Kheri district. Alongside are the key facts pertaining to the analysed product code. ;

► The total exports of Jaggery products and agro based sugar from Lakhimpur Kheri district is approx. INR 74.22 crores and INR 69.96 crore respectively from September 2020 to November 2021.
► As per the discussion with stakeholders, there is demand of jaggery products in many countries for medical purpose.
► The cluster has tremendous export potential, but owing to lack of proper market assessment mechanism, specific demand preferences.
► Hence, it was pointed out that the proper study of the foreign market, region specific demand patterns to be ascertained. Along with that, a common platform to be created where there can be an integration between the exporters and importers, thereby making the export ecosystem robust and effective.
Product 170114: Uttar Pradesh exports this product to Iran, Indonesia, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Yemen, China, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, USA, Nepal. Below figure shows the top importers for this product (170114) in the world:

Product Diversification is one of the most crucial product uplifting strategies which in turn is an important part of a product’s export. This plays a vital role in any products exports as it is a product uplifting strategy. Most unit holders are not bothered about changing their product range and they fail to understand that it is an integral part of comprehensive marketing. Diversification can be brought in the cluster by:
1. Development of a new products: The unit holders of the district should be encouraged to diversify the product categories and must be provided with enough resources to create innovative products. The unit holders should focus on organic jaggery which is very much in demand in India and abroad. Jaggery can be used in making candys, Gajak, Ladoo and other sweets. 2. Modifications of Existing Products It has also been found that most of the unit holders use no strategy for making modifications to the existing products. They can also expand the products made from sugar by replacing it from jaggery as sweetener.