This district was carved out from Gorakhpur district on 2 October 1989.The town of Maharajganj is the district headquarters. This district is part of Gorakhpur Division. According to the 2011 census Maharajganj district has a population of 2,685000 which is roughly equal to the nation of Kuwait or the US state of Nevada. This gives it a ranking of 151st out of a total of 640 districts in the country. The district has a population density of 910/km and its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 23.50 %. Maharajganj has a sex ratio of 938 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 64.30 %. Mahrajganj district is one of the country's 250 most backward districts. It is also one of the 34 districts in Uttar Pradesh currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant fund programme.

The district is part of Gorakhpur Division. Maharajganj town is the headquarter of this district. There are four tehsils, 12 development blocks, 103 Nyay Panchyats and 1262 Villages. The district has 4 Assembly constituencies. Maharajganj District is divided into four tehsils, namely Maharajganj, Pharenda, Nautanwa and Nichlaul. The headquarters is in the town of Maharajganj. The nearest metropolis city is Gorakhpur, located at 54 km from the district headquarter, and the capital city of Lucknow is 325 km away from the Maharajganj headquarter.

The district Maharajganj is located on the north-east corner of Uttar Pradesh and bounded by Nepal on the North, Kushinagar district on the east, Gorakhpur district on the south and Siddharthnagar and Sant Kabir Nagar districts in the West. This district is part of Gorakhpur Division and occpies an area of 2952 Sq. Km. It lies between 25°.50’ to 26°.20’ N latitude and 83°.25’ to 84°.20’ E longitude and is about 67 meter above the sea level.

The district Maharajganj is spread over the area of 2952 Sq.Km. It is the abode of 2685000 (as per the census of 2011) number of people residing in its 1262 villages and urban areas. It has total 1382000 male population and 1303000 total female population. As per the census 2011, female population stands as of 48% of total population and male population stand as 52% of total population. Total 881000 males are literate while total 537000 females are literate. As per the census data available in the year 2002 total 117000 of rural families live below the poverty line.

The area of the district Maharajganj is a part of the Central Ganga Plain and is underlain by quaternary alluvium of Pleistocene to sub-recent age. The soils of the district are mainly transported i.e. alluvial comprising sand, silt and clay in varying proportions and are rich in humus. The alluvial soils of the district are subdivided into older alluvial soil and younger alluvial soil. The older alluvial soil occupies high land while the younger soils are restricted to marginal tract of the little Gandak River. Both soils are fertile. The drainage system is controlled by Rapti and the Gandak rivers in the district. The main tributaries of Rapti are Ghoghi river, Rohini river and Pharenda Nala. The great Gandak or Naryani river another major river system, takes its rise in the snowy ranges of Nepal and leaves the hills by the gorge near Tirvenighat, about 16 Km. North of the boundary of Maharajganjdistrict. The river is known as Naryani in India and in Nepal as Saligrami. Poh, Piyas, Mahau, Madao, Baua, Chilva Basmans are minor tributaries in the district. Besides, the above major rivers in the district, there are number of perennial lakes. The major lakes of the district are Darhia Tal, Senia Tal, Poh Tal, Sarua Tal etc. These lakes are sources of Fish as well as sources of minor irrigation in the district.
Out of total 199000 hectares of agriculture area (2015-16), gross 179000 hectares area is irrigated whereas the net irrigation area is concerned then total 177000 hectares land is net irrigated which is being used for the crop farming. In the major agriculture crop sugarcane, grains, oil seeds and the potato are grown in the district. As per the survey report of 2015-16 total 914000 hectares sugarcane, 886000 hectares grains, 48000 hectares potato and 2000 hectares oil seeds are grown in the district.

Agro based production is ruling the district with 3000 units as per the MSME profile available by DIEPC office. Second industry is repairing services with 1400 units . But the survey report says that the wooden furniture industry has the maximum 800 units which are micro in nature and producing different items made by wood which is abundantly available in the forest of Maharajganj. As per the report of MSME About 342 Sq. Km. area of the district is covered by forest which account for 11.59% of the total land of the district. The sal is the principal tree of the forest. The undergrowth in sal areas is very dense in the strips along the banks of nalas and streams and is of evergreen shrubs and small trees. In the northern portion of Mahrajganj there is Domakhand forest tract. This has dense forests of medium to good height. The chief associates of the sal are asna, Bahera, Haldu, phaldu, asidh, tendu, mahua, domsal, Jamun (Syzygium, bhakmal, Shisham, semal, tum, dhak, neem, amaltash, imli, and teak.

Out of total population of 2,665,292 (2011 census), 878,586 are working population. The below mentioned table depicts the figures of the district-

Potential for Development of MSME Over 11.5 per cent of the total land of the district is covered by forest which offer very good potential for forest-based industries. Mahrajganj is a quaint district endowed with serene and tranquil environment and picturesque terrains dotted by meandering streams is a real treat. Lehara Durga Temple is an important sightseeing spot which could be developed as attractive tourist destinations. This district has an agrarian economy. Main source of income of majority of population in the district is agriculture. Major Agricultural produce are wheat, rice, sugarcane, potato, mango, guava, banana, and vegetables. Agro based industries like food processing, animal husbandry, dairy, poultry, piggery, fishery, etc. have very good prospect in the district.
Potential for Development of Manufacturing Enterprises The following industries can be developed in the district 1. Readymade garments 2. Fruit preservation 3. Rise mill 4. Oil mill 5. Masala Udyog 6. Dairy Products 7. Mineral Water 8. Detergent Powder 9. Wooden Furniture 10. Drinking Water 11. Flour mill 12. Plastic container 13. Poultry 14. Fishery 15. Piggery 16. Floriculture 17. Smokeless Briquettes from Biomass 18. Bee keeping. Potential for Development of Service Industry The district has the potential for the development of following service sector industries 1. DTP, 2. Cyber Cafe 3. Beauty Parlour, 4. Welding & Fabrication works 5. Repair of Automobiles 6. Wiring & Electrical Repairing works 7. Hotels and Restaurants 8. Tent House 9. Tours and Travels services 10. Civil Construction

The total export from Maharajganj is approximately INR 1101.41 Crore for the period September 2020 to November 2021.

The furniture industry has bloomed due to easy availability of raw material that is wood as majority of the area of Maharajganj district is covered by forest.

The furniture industry has bloomed due to easy availability of raw material that is wood as majority of the area of Maharajganj district is covered by forest. There are many small units of furniture working here even since this industry got its identification from the government. They start their daily journey from collecting raw material of wood processing them into final produce manually and with the help of available tradition tools like clamps, claw hammer, chisels, table saw, hand saw etc. The Maharajganj furniture cluster has more than 8000 manpower involved in furniture making profession out of which 3000 skilled and 5000 unskilled workers. This is the family business of many workers here and every new member of the family inherent this skill from their elders. The major geographical area where these artisans involved are Pharenda, Nautanwa, Siswa, Ghughali. More than 800 micro level units are involved in this signature craft of Maharajganj. Government steps like selecting this craft as One District One product, increasing market size of real estate, development of industry in nearby location like Gorakhpur has propelled the demand driven engagement of more artisans to prepare furniture craft. Owing to its rich heritage, size, and contribution to the district’s economy, the GoUP has selected this craft under ODOP programme.

The products of the cluster include home furniture items such as beds, sofas, dining tables, almirahs, dressing tables (locally called shringardaan), chairs and cupboards. The primary products sold include beds, sofa sets, dining table and dressing table. The products can be categorised into two kinds depending upon their selling price. 90% units sell their products at an average price ranging from INR 0.15 lakh to INR 0.75 lakhs. The other 10% units sell these products at an average selling price ranging from INR 0.50 lakh to INR 2 lakh.

The following are the key products manufactured in the cluster:
1- Sofa 2- Bed 3- Dressing Table 4- Dining Table

There is no GI tag is conferred yet to the wooden furniture products of the Maharajganj.;

There are no industry associations to help and to raise the voice of Wooden Furniture item artisans and workers. For the further development the cluster may establish associations with either one or all the institutions like Furniture & Fittings Skill Council (FFSC), Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI)-Furniture Committee, Wood Technologist Associations (WTA), Institute of Wood Science and Technology (IWST), Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) etc. The cluster artisans and units can also be member of Association of Furniture Manufacturers & Traders (AFMT).;

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

Current Scenario The export scenario of India and Uttar Pradesh have been analysed basis the export statistics of HS codes mentioned above under which Wooden Furniture Items products are exported. Alongside are the key facts pertaining to the analysed product codes. ;
Based on our analysis, we have identified key synergies that should be developed to expand our current reach and potential; These synergies are divided into immediate and long term. The immediate synergies include countries with Signed FTA’s, high growth potential, and one is catered by India and not UP. Whereas the long-term synergies include countries with untapped market potential which can only be fulfilled if UP’s exporters comply and raise the quality of the product to the highest standards, freight rates are more subsidized and major efforts is required in marketing which will require time to accommodate the same.

HS codes under which the product is exported from the district.;
Current Scenario The export scenario of World and India have been analysed basis the export statistics of HS code 100630 (Semi-milled or wholly milled rice, whether polished or glazed) under which non-Basmati rice is exported from Maharajganj district. Alongside are the key facts pertaining to the analysed product code. India’s export compared to world is very low (approximately 29.76%).

Articles of woodcraft or other substances, n.e.s (excluding containing magnesite, dolomite or chromite and articles of graphite or other carbon) As per trade indicators, India's exports represent .10% for this product code ranking in 39th in world exports, behind China, Vietnam, Poland, Malaysia, Turkey, Germany and Italy. The value exported in 2020 is USD 15,215 Thousand.
China and Vietnam are the top two exporters of the world making them India’s direct competitors. China and Vietnam account for 19.8% and 10.4% of world exports for this product. Being from the same region, Indonesia’s value of exports is also higher in comparison to India. The country’s share in exports is around 1.3% whereas as mentioned, India’s is only 10%. The following figure highlights the top importers of the world along with their value of exports (2020) and annual growth in value

In the Maharajganj district as per the office record of agriculture department in the year 2022-23, total 459.22(000 Metric ton) production of Non-basmati rice is recorded.

The state is a leading producer in agriculture products like rice, wheat, sugarcane etc. The economy of the cluster is heavily dependent on agriculture products

Any rice other than Basmati Rice is named as non-Basmati rice. In the world it has been reported that there are over 10,000 varieties of rice and out of which the maximum number are in India. In the Maharajganj district as per the office record of agriculture department in the year 2022-23, total 459.22(000 Metric ton) production of Non-basmati rice is recorded. The production is 27.45 Q/Ha. The total number of 500000 farmers are involved in the rice farming and in record 95% area of rice farming is irrigated whether by canal or by personal tube wells that is why the rice farming happens one months earlier in the district comparative to other adjacent districts.

Multiple varieties of rice exist including short-grain, medium-grain, and long-grain varieties. ;

Following are principal Industry Associations that are working for the development of Rice:
► Agriculture and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA)
► Indian Industries Association (IIA)
► Rice Export Promotion Forum (REPF)
► International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) - world’s premier research organization dedicated to reducing poverty and hunger through rice science; improving the health and welfare of rice farmers and consumers; and protecting the rice-growing environment for future generations
► National Rice Research Institute, Cuttack (NRRI) - The National Rice Research Institute is located in Cuttack in Odisha state. The basic objective of institute is to conduct basic, applied, and adaptive research on crop improvement and resource management for increasing and stabilizing rice productivity in different rice ecosystems with special emphasis on rainfed ecosystems and the related abiotic stresses
► National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) scheme
► U.P. Council of Agricultural Research (UPCAR) - The UPCAR is an autonomous apex state organisation registered as a society, which plans, co-ordinates and promotes research, education, training, and transfer of technology for advancement of agriculture and allied sciences. The UPCAR was established on June 14, 1989, with its headquarters at Lucknow.
► Agriculture Department
► Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) ;

The export scenario of World and India have been analysed basis the export statistics of HS code 100630 (Semi-milled or wholly milled rice, whether polished or glazed) under which non-Basmati rice is exported from Maharajganj district.

HS Code 100630 (Semi-milled or wholly milled rice, whether polished or glazed)
► India's exports represent 29.8% of world exports for this product, its ranking in world exports is 1.
► India exported this product to Iran, Indonesia, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Yemen, China, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, USA, Nepal etc. Below figure shows the top importers for this product (100630) 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. Currently, only the grains of rice are being sold directly in the market. Knowing the health benefits of the product an initiative can be made for product diversification to manufacture value added products such as chiwda, poha, brown rice, rice noodles, idli & dosa batter. The broken rice can be used to create flour. Rice flour is gluten-free; therefore, it is an alternative for producing gluten-free products. Rice flour is also hypoallergenic. Thus, it can be utilized for producing baby food, puddings, and other food products. Due to the decreased risk for people with sensitivities, food companies prefer rice flour to other varieties of flour. Thus, it is economically justifiable to grind broken rice to produce flour for such applications.
With adequate upgradation of technology in the cluster the farmers/ millers can sell by-products and generate additional income by manufacturing by-products from Rice Husks, Brans and Straws; the following are their uses: