Gonda district is one of the districts of Uttar Pradesh, India. The city of Gonda is the district headquarter and also the administrative centre for the Devipatan Division. It has 2 lok sabha seats and 7 assembly areas. It has 4 tehsils namely gonda, mankapur, coloneganj and tarabganj. It has 16 blocks.

Gonda district is one of the districts of Uttar Pradesh, India. The city of Gonda is the district headquarter and also the administrative centre for the Devipatan Division. It has 2 lok sabha seats and 7 assembly areas. It has 4 tehsils namely gonda, mankapur, coloneganj and tarabganj. It has 16 blocks.

Gonda district is a part of Devipatan division of Purvanchal region of Uttar Pradesh. The district lies between 27° 28’ North latitude and 82° 0’ East longitude and covers an area of 4003 Sq. Km. It shares borders with Balrampur and Shrawasti districts in the north, Siddharth Nagar, Basti districts in the East, Faizabad, Barabanki districts in the South and Bahraich district in the west. Gonda city is 112 kilometers east of the state capital, Lucknow.

Road: Gonda is well connected to the rest of Uttar Pradesh by roadways. The district has various buses that is operated by Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation as well as Private players which connects the district to cities like Lucknow, Bareilly, Kanpur, Allahabad, Agra, and Mathura. NH27 is passing through the district. The state highways are SH30, SH9, and SH 9A. Railways: Gonda is well connected to the rest of Uttar Pradesh & India by railways. The district has a major railway station in the connecting way of Gorakhpur to Lucknow. It has direct connectivity from Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai with regular trains. Almost half a dozen of trains run regularly from the state of Bihar through Gonda to the Delhi, the capital of India. Airport: The Nearest airport is Gorakhpur & the distance from Gorakhpur to Gonda is 150 KM approx. by road. The Gorakhpur is well connected to the first-tier cities of India.

The holy rivers Saryu and Ghaghra pass through the district. The soils of the district are composed of the fluvial deposits of these two rivers. The entire district falling in sai sub basin of Ganga basin represents flat topography. The weather of district hot and moist, area getting sufficient rainwater in season, agricultures farming depends on rainwater. The most of land are fertile, main crop Sugarcanes, wheat, rice, Pulses like Lentil, Pigeon pea, Pea, Black gram, Gram etc.

Gonda’s tourist places are majorly religious place, some of the major temples like Swaminaryan Temple chapiya and Prithvianth temple Gonda.

The district has 18,996 industries that employ around 73,942 individuals . MSME industries across the sectors of food/agro-based industries, Ready- made garment & Embroidery, wooden based furniture, Repairing and services, metal, chemical, leather, engineering etc. are the key economy drivers of the district. Wood and wooden based furniture and Repairing services contribute most in terms of employment, which is approximately 16% and 31.4% respectively. Ready-made garments & Embroidery ~7.9% to revenue, and ~4.1% of work force is employed in this vertical. The following table depicts the MSME units with their turnover and employment as on 31st March 2021:

Repairing services sector of MSME with 6632 units in the district is the most prominent and economy contributing sector of the district. It is followed by sectors such as “wood and wooden furniture,” other industries which consist of Brick making, tailoring, shop, Data processing, computer-based work, photostat shop” with 7495 units.Out of total population of 3,433,919 People living in Gonda District depend on multiple skills, total workers are 1,170,552. Total 440,340 Cultivators are depended on agriculture farming out of 357435 are cultivated by men and 82,895 are women. 431,532 people works in agricultural land as labour, men are 296,680 and 134,852 are women.

The following table depicts the major export products from Gonda:

The economy of the cluster is heavily dependent on agriculture products- Rice. In Gonda, Rice production is Approximate 799470 metric ton from 133245 Ha cultivated land in major area of Block Tarabganj, Belsar, Parsapur, Dhanepur, itiathok, Katra Bazaar and productivity is 6 metric ton per hectare.

The economy of the cluster is heavily dependent on agriculture products- Rice. In Gonda, Rice production is Approximate 799470 metric ton from 133245 Ha cultivated land in major area of Block Tarabganj, Belsar, Parsapur, Dhanepur, itiathok, Katra Bazaar and productivity is 6 metric ton per hectare.

4.2 Product profile Rice edible starchy cereal grain and the grass plant by which it is produced. Roughly one-half of the world population, including virtually all of East and Southeast Asia, is wholly dependent upon rice as a staple food; 95 percent of the world’s rice crop is eaten by humans. Rice is cooked by boiling, or it can be ground into a flour. It is eaten alone and in a great variety of soups, side dishes, and main dishes in Asian, Middle Eastern, and many other cuisines. Other products in which rice is used are breakfast cereals, noodles, and such alcoholic beverages as Japanese sake.
The cultivated rice plant is an annual grass and grows to about 1.2 metres (4 feet) in height. The leaves are long and flattened and are borne on hollow stems. The fibrous root system is often broad and spreading. The panicle, or inflorescence (flower cluster), is made up of spikelets bearing flowers that produce the fruit, or grain. Varieties differ greatly in the length, shape, and weight of the panicle and the overall productivity of a given plant. Many cultures have evidence of early rice cultivation, including China, India, and the civilizations of Southeast Asia. However, the earliest archaeological evidence comes from central and eastern China and dates to 7000–5000 BCE. More than 90 percent of the world’s rice is grown in Asia, principally in China, India, Indonesia, and Bangladesh, with smaller amounts grown in Japan, Pakistan, and various Southeast Asian nations. Rice is also cultivated in parts of Europe, in North and South America, and in Australia. In the 1960s the so-called Green Revolution, an international scientific effort to diminish the threat of world hunger, produced improved strains of numerous food crops, including that known as miracle rice. Bred for disease resistance and increased productivity, this variety is characterized by a short sturdy stalk that minimizes loss from drooping. Poor soil conditions and other factors, however, inhibited its anticipated widespread success. In the India it has been reported that there are over 6,000 varieties of rice.

Multiple varieties of rice exist including short-grain, medium-grain, and long-grain varieties. The following are the key varieties of Rice which are produce, processing and sale domestic and indirect export in the cluster:
► Rice 6444 (commercial)
► Sambha Masoori (Domestic)
► Pusha 1121 (Domestic)
► Pioneer-27P31 (Domestic) ;

The export scenario of India and Uttar Pradesh has been analysed basis the export statistics of HS codes mentioned above under which related to Rice is exported. Alongside are the key facts pertaining to the analysed product codes.

Current Scenario The export scenario of India and Uttar Pradesh has been analysed basis the export statistics of HS codes mentioned above under which related to Rice is 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.;

As various products are manufactured and sold under the Agri food related to Rice products non-basmati rice of Gonda , in order to gauge our understanding of where India stands relative to the world on the trade of these products, each product has been delved into as a separate unit defined by its exports and imports in comparison to its competition and potential markets to target in the future.
The consolidated list of countries that India can target, respective to the analysis carried out in each chapter are Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, UAE, Benin, Yemen, Togo, USA, Nepal, Guinea, Kuwait, Malaysia, UK as mapped below. Product 1: 100630; Semi-milled or wholly milled rice, whether or not polished or glazed India's exports represent 36.3% of world exports for this product, ranking it number 1. The value of India’s exports over the last 5 years have increased by CAGR 8% with a sharp increase in 2018 and then a subsequent dip post that and again increase in 2020. As per data FY 2018-19 to 2020-21 for exports from the state of UP, it is observed that there has been increased by CAGR 40.75%, with a similarly sharp increase from 2018-19. The top importers for this product in the world are given below, alongside the value of the product imported in 2020.

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: Rice Husk Use
► Fuel
► Gaseous Fuel
► Husk Briquette
► Husk Board
► Furfural Rice Bran Use
► Edible grade oil
► Industrial grade crude oil
► Free fatty acid manufacture
► Plasticizers
► Tocopherol
► Rice bran wax

In Gonda, rural population is approximately 75% and is majorly involved into agriculture & farm related occupations.

In Gonda, rural population is approximately 75% and is majorly involved into agriculture & farm related occupations. Gonda is a lowland area where small lentil pulses are cultivated as cash crops. Five different types of small lentil varieties are found here. The high-quality lentil pulses of Gonda are sold in other parts of the state as well as in Bengal and Assam.
The focus product under the ODOP scheme has been selected as the Pulses in food processing. Since the district is known for its food processing industry, has favourable soil conditions due to the presence of river Rapti, fertile land is available so growing pulses is very easy and farmers can cultivate it with less input cost. The total cultivable area of Gonda District is approximately 2.87 Lakh Hectares out of this only 22683 Hectares (7.9%) is utilized for growing of pulses. Arhar Urad and matar are grown in almost all blocks in small quantities for self-consumption (depending upon the annual need of the family) Chana is mainly grown in the Belsar Belt, Masur is mainly growing the Ghagra Basin area covering Nawabganj, Colonelganj, Wazirganj, Tarabganj, Jhanjhari etc and is mainly grown for commercial purposes or the farmer sell this dal to buy Arhar and other dal for consumption purposes. Masur dal cultivation (major pulse crop) area is approx. 12341 Hectares and total production in this area is 11489 tonnes. Productivity of Masur Dal - 9.31 quintals per hectare. Masur is majorly grown in Colonelganj, Paraspur, Belsar, Tarabganj, Mankapur, Chhapia, Nawabganj, Katra Bazaar, and Bhabhanjot blocks along the basin of river Ghagra. Basin area along the river provides suitable environment for growing Masur dal and it requires less efforts and input cost to grow Masur in this area. The focus product under the ODOP scheme has been selected as the Pulses food processing. Though presently the district has only two dal processing mills, but due to the availability of raw material in large quantities within the local district and the fact that more than 37000 farmers are associated with the cultivation of pulses and approximately 22683 hectares of land is used for cultivation of various types of pulses.

Dals are an integral part of the Indian diet. A major source of protein, that the vegetarians use in their everyday meals. India is home to many different varieties of lentils, dried beans, pulses, and legumes. Traditionally, Gonda district is renowned for its Lentils Arhar Daal Red (Masur Dal) and Moong daal production. The other type of pulses which are grown in the district are pigeon pea (Arhar), Urad (Black Gram), Chana (Brown Chickpeas), Moong (Green Gram) etc., Lentils receive their scientific name, Lens culinaris, from their curved lens-shaped seed. They are a type of legume that is native to Western Asia and North America. Lentils are one of the earliest domesticated crops, seen in the diets of ancient Rome and Egypt. Many countries enjoy lentils as a dietary staple, as they offer an earthy,
mild, nutty flavour that works well in various recipes. Canada leads the world’s production of lentils, followed by India. Lentil seeds are an excellent source of plant-based proteins and represent a viable alternative to animal and soybean proteins for food processing formulations. Lentil proteins provide not only dietary amino acids but are also a source of bioactive peptides that provide health benefits. They may be sold as whole lentils or split with the husks removed. Whole lentils with husks intact take longer to cook and will retain their shape; split lentils without husks cook very quickly and break down into a puree. These differences in texture will determine in which recipes they may be used. Lentils are available dried or canned.

The following are the key varieties of different type pulses which are produce, processing and sale domestic and indirect export in the cluster: ;

► Lentil: Narender Masur -1 (majorly grown in the district), PL-A-20 & IPL-316, Shekhar Masoor 3 (KL-320), KL-8, UP-008, Chhoti Masur varieties, etc.
► Pigeon pea: NA-1, NA-2,
► Urad (Black Gram): NU-1, NU-2
► Moong (Green Gram): NM-1

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

HS codes under which the product is exported from the district. ;
Current scenario The export scenario of India and Uttar Pradesh has been analysed basis the export statistics of HS codes mentioned above under which food processing related to pulses (Masoor) are exported. Alongside are the key facts pertaining to the analysed product code. 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

As various products are manufactured and sold under the food processing related to pulses products like Masoor (Lentil) and Arhar (Tor dal) of Gonda , to gauge our understanding of where India stands relative to the world on the trade of these products, each product has been delved into as a separate unit defined by its exports and imports in comparison to its competition and potential markets to target in the future.
The consolidated list of countries that India can target, respective to the analysis carried out in each chapter are Bangladesh, USA, Bhutan, Qatar, UAE, Italy, Nepal, Netherlands, Singapore, Thailand, as mapped below. Product 1: 071340; _ Dried, shelled lentils, whether or not skinned or split India's exports represent 0.6% of world exports for this product, ranking it number 9. The value of India’s exports over the last 5 years have increased by CAGR 1% with a sharp increase in 2018 and then a subsequent dip post. As per data FY 2018-19 to 2020-21 for exports from the state of UP, it is observed that there has been increased by CAGR 42.88%, with a similarly sharp increase from 2018-19.

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 pulses are being sold directly in the market. Knowing the high demand of the product an initiative can be made for product diversification to manufacture value added products such as papad, sweets, Namkeen, boondi, podis, halwas powder, ladoos, combined with cereal-based ingredients (i.e. wheat, rice, oats), etc With adequate upgradation of technology in the cluster the farmers/ millers can sell by-products and generate additional income by manufacturing by-products from broken pulses.