Unnao is situated between river Ganga and Sai, and geographical area of the district is 4558 Sq. Km. The total population of the district as per 2011 census is 31.08 lakhs out of which 16.30 lakhs are male and 14.78 Lakhs are females.

The district has rich cultural and religious heritage and has been popular from the view of history and literature. Unnao has been known as the land of pen (kalam) and sword (Talwar). It has been the land of Progressive Hindi writers, freedom fighters, educationists etc. Many brave personalities who played a major role in the Country's freedom struggle and sacrificed their lives for the country were born here. Popular among them are Raja Rao Ram Bux Singh, Maulana Hasarat Mohani, Ram Beni Madhav, Pd. Vishambher Dayal Tripathi, Thakur Jsasingh, Narpat Singh, Barjor Singh, Hathi Singh, Devi Bux Singh, Mansab Ali, Kasturi Singh, Bhopal Singh and Chandrika Bux Singh. The district is not left behind in the field of literature too, having produced learned persons right from Maharishi Valmiki to Gaya Pd. Shukla, Pratap Narayan Misra, Surya Kant Tripathi ‘Nirala’, Maulana Hasrat Mohani, Nand Dulare Bajpayee, Sumitra Kumari Sinha, Chandra Bhushan Trivedi (Ramai Kaka), Dr. Ram Vilas Sharma, Jagdambika Pd. Misra, Bhagwati Charan Misra, Pratap Narayan Misra and Shiv Mangal Singh ‘Suman’.

The Latitude of district is 26°8' N & 27°2' (North) and Longitude is 80°3' E & 81°3' (East). The district is bounded on the North by District Hardoi, on the East by District Lucknow, on the South by District Rae Bareli and on the West by the Ganga which separates it from districts of Kanpur & Fatehpur.

Unnao lies in the great plains of the Ganges and hence the land is highly fertile. The soil is mostly alluvial. The Ganges separates Unnao from Kanpur district. The district is bounded by river Ganges in the west and the river Sai in the east. The entire district falling in Sai Sub-basin of the Ganges basin represents flat topography. The irrigation in the district takes place through Sharda Canal network system and tube wells. About 92% of the district area is under cultivation.

There are six industrial areas in the district namely Industrial Estate Akrampur Unnao, Mini Industrial Estate Bangarmau, Mini Industrial Estate Safipur, Mini Industrial Estate Bighapur, Mini Industrial Estate Purwa and Mini Industrial Estate Fatehpur apart from Banthar Leather Technology Park, Magarwara Industrial area and Unnao Industrial area developed by UPSIDA.

As given in the following table, MSME industries across the sectors of food/agro-based industries, repair & servicing, other manufacturing, wood, metal, apparel, paper, electrical and other transport, chemical, leather and engineering are key economy drivers in the district. Ready garments and embroidery contribute most in terms of employment and revenue, which is approximately 26% and 8% respectively. Repairing and Servicing contributes ~15% to revenue, highest among all the enterprises and ~19% of work force is employed in this vertical. Leather based industry in the district is the most prominent sector of the district contributing most to the economy by being the largest employer and being at the top in terms of investments as well. It is followed by Agro-based industry, Chemicals and Readymade Garments respectively. Out of total population of 3,108,367 (2011 census), 1,124,744 are working population. Out of total working population, 70% are cultivators and agricultural labourers. This indicates that agriculture is the main source of income in the district.

The total export from Unnao for the period Jan 2021 to December 2021 is INR 4112.28 Crore. The following table depicts the value of export of top 3 products from Unnao:
Apart from the above products, Zari-Zardozi has been identified as ODOP product from the district and Mango has been selected as ODOP product from Unnao under PMFME Scheme (PM Formalisation of Micro food processing Enterprises Scheme). The export of both the product is NIL from the district.

The art of zari has been associated with the aristocratic & royal persona of India for a long time. It is one of the most famous & elaborative technique of metal embroidery. The craft of zari embroidery has been undertaken in various districts of UP since ages. District Unnao is a traditional craft pocket of Zari-Zardozi embroidery. The Zari Zardozi activity in Unnao region began during the mogul era. With the expansion of craft in Lucknow it has spread to surrounding districts. Villages and town areas which are in proximity of Lucknow adopted this work as their livelihood and developed this skill on hereditary basis.

Listed below are different kinds of zari work in the region: 1. Zardozi 2. Kamdani 3. Mina Work 4. Kataoki Bel 5. Makaish 6. Tilla or Marori Work 7. Gota Work 8. Kinari Work

The following are the key products manufactured in the cluster: Zardozi Zardozi is a heavy and elaborate embroidery work which uses a variety of gold threads, beads, seed pearls and gota. Zardozi work is mainly done on fabrics like heavy silk, velvet and satin. It is used to embellish wedding outfits, heavy coats, and other products. Zardozi embroidery is a beautiful metal embroidery, which was once used to embellish the attire of the Kings and the royals in India. It was also used to adorn walls of the royal tents, scabbards, wall hangings and the paraphernalia of regal elephants and horses. Kamdani Kamdani is light needle work, which is done on lighter materials like scarves, caps etc. using flattened wire. Ordinary thread is used, and the wire is pressed down to produce satin stitch effect. This effect produced is glittering and it is called hazara butti. In Kamdani, the wire is attached to a small length of thread is pulled through the fabric with a needle, beautifully working into motifs. This is also referred to as ‘fancy kaam’. Kamdani is becoming a rarity and most of the craftsmen are elderly men Gota Work Traditionally, gota ribbons were woven with a warp of flattened gold and silver wire and a weft of silk/ cotton threads and used as a functional trim on garments and textiles. While most believe that gota patti is the forte of Rajasthan alone, some also claim that it is, in fact, a form of Pakistani embroidery that originated in Punjab before spreading in popularity to neighbouring states. The handcraft is centuries-old and was traditionally the domain of the royal family & members of the court. Today, it’s a must-have in festive and bridal wardrobes Kataoki Bel This is a border pattern made of stiff canvas and the whole surface is filled with sequins edging. A variation of this border technique is lace made on net and filled with zari stitches & spangles. Zari or Jari, is an even thread made of fine gold or silver, used to make traditional Indian or Pakistani embroidered fabrics, through an intricate art of weaving threads. Started during the Mughal era, Zari was associated with the grand attires of Gods, Kings and literary figures in literary sources. ;
Mukaish This is one of the oldest styles and is done with silver wire or badla. The wire itself serves as a needle, piercing the material to complete the stitches. A variety of designs are produced in this manner. The craft of mukaish is easily identified as a dotted pattern in silver or gold metal, embedded in the body of lightweight fabric. Today, contemporary modifications of the traditional metal work can be seen both on fashion week runways and in sought-after ethnic ensembles. Tilla or Marori Work Also known as Abha work and Kashmiri Tilla work. Made with golden/ silver/ antique zari thread (Kasab/ Tilla). This is the kind of embroidery where gold thread is stitched on to the surface with a needle. Kinari Work Also known as Gota Patti Work, Gota-Kinari work or Lappe ka Kaam. It is a type of metal embroidery that originated in Rajasthan, India. The cities of Jaipur, Bikaner, Ajmer, Udaipur, and Kota are the epicentre of uniquely styled Gota work. Elaborate patterns are created with metals like gold, silver, copper etc. A small variation is kinari work where the embellishments are done only at the edges in the form of tassels. This is done mainly by men and women of the muslim community. It is applied on to the edges of a fabric to create fancy patterns and is popularly used in edging bridal sarees and lehengas. In Rajasthan, gota work is extensively done on Dupattas and Ghagras. Outfits adorned with gota work are popularly worn at auspicious functions. Mina Work Mina work resembles enamel work and makes use of gold threads.

The Geographical Indication Registry (GIR) has accorded the Geographical Indication (GI) registration to the intricate needle handicraft- Lucknow Zardozi and it was registered under the brand of ‘Lucknow Zardozi’ in the year 2013. The registration has been secured by Kalatmak Handicrafts Self Help Group Foundation, Lucknow. Though, Unnao District comes under geographical Identified area, but no significant progress is seen in Post G.I. Initiative in Unnao. The focus should be to increase the number of authorised Users to become IEC holder in a year. ;

Following are principal Industry Associations/SPVs that are working for the development of Zari-Zardozi in Unnao:
► Indian Industry Association (IIA)
► Provincial Industries Association (PIA)
► Unnao Zari Zardozi Sadbhav Foundation
► Unnao Zari Zardozi Cluster Utthan Samiti ;

The identified HS codes for export of Zari-Zardozi product are mentioned below:;

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

► The total export of Zari-Zardozi product from India is INR 120.10 Crore (USD Thousand 16,180) in 2020-21.
► Zari-Zardozi products has been manufactured in some clusters of Unnao, the current exports of Zari-Zardozi products from the district is Nil.
► The cluster has tremendous export potential, but owing to lack of proper market assessment mechanism, changing design patterns, specific demand preferences the export is very less.
► 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 560500: The product under this HS code is exported to UAE, Algeria, Bangladesh, Jordon, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Benin, and Morocco. Below figure shows the top importers for this product (560500) 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. Diversification can be brought in the cluster by: 1. Development of a new products: During the product diversification new product line like Purses, Langar/Ghagra, Churidar, Punjabi, Curtains, Other dress materials like Scarf etc needs to be promoted. Additionally creation of a new product range like zari-work that can be laminated and attached to wooden doors, frames, wall paintings etc. They can also create gift bags, curtains with intricate zari work.
2. Modifications of Existing Products It has also been found that most of the artisans use no strategy for making modifications to the existing products in the light of design and fusion. The artisans can make fusion products by blending zari work with madhubani or block prints. They can also expand in terms of the materials they use for making the products by introducing cotton and jute into their product range.

Leather is one of the most widely traded commodities in the world. The leather industry holds a prominent place in the Indian economy. This sector is known for its consistency in high export earnings, and it is among the top ten foreign exchange earners for the country. Being adjacent to Kanpur, which is famous for leather industries, there are many leather Tanning & Processing units in Unnao. Shoes, Saddler, leather Purses are being produced & exported from Unnao. There are some major exporters of leather goods including Mirza Tanners & Super House. Tanning is the biggest industry in Unnao. Unnao is known for its leather industry and leather goods. Superhouse Group, Mirza Tanners, Model Exims, Kings International, Homera Tanning Industries Pvt Ltd are some of the major exporters in Unnao. Banthar Leather Technology Park, Magarwara Industrial area and Unnao Industrial area developed by UPSIDA are major industrial suburbs of Unnao . The cluster’s annual turnover in 2020-21 was around INR 1000 Cr . The export turnover for the year 2019-20 was INR 733.01 Cr . The total employment in the cluster is around 50000.14

This sector comprises of tanneries (where raw hides and skins are converted into leather) and factories transforming leather into a variety of consumer products such as footwear, garments and outerwear, and assorted leather goods such as wallets, passport cases, key chains, handbags, and briefcases. Apart from the quality of raw material, the process of its conversion into leather and, later, of the design, product development and process of product’s manufacturing play a key role in value addition.

The Harness & Saddlery industry is predominantly located in Kanpur & Unnao region from the last 150 years, the Saddlery Exporters Association has been granted the registration of Geographical Indication No.159 by the Registrar of Intellectual Property Rights. Kanpur Saddlery has been awarded Geographical Indication status on 31.03.2014 and Harness and Saddlery Exporters Association, Kanpur 77, Industrial Estate, Kalpi Road, Kanpur, Facilitated by Export Commissioner, Uttar Pradesh is the Registered proprietor of Kanpur Saddlery G.I. Product. As per Page number 36 of Journal Serial number 54 dated 28.09.2013 (published by Geographical Indications Registry, Chennai and available at (http://ipindiaservices.gov.in/GirPublic/Application/Details/159), Kanpur and Unnao districts are the geographical area recognised for this product. ;

Raw material supplier The primary raw materials required in the Cluster are Chemicals, Raw Hides, Pasting Gum, Adhesives, sewing thread, etc. which are essentially procured from within and outside the Cluster. Majority of raw hides are procured from outside of the cluster mainly from Delhi, Maharashtra, West Bengal, and Tamil Nadu. As per stakeholder discussion, some of the units are importing raw materials from other countries due to cheaper rates. Unit owners & Workers There are more 150 units involved in processing of leather and manufacturing of leather products. Majority of the units located in Unnao leather cluster have their corporate office in Kanpur or Delhi. More than 50000 workers working in these units and are residing in Unnao, Kanpur, Lucknow, and nearby areas of Unnao. Machinery Supplier Most of the machineries required in the tanning industry are imported from Italy, Germany, and other countries. Mainly, the drums required in the tanning industry are imported from other countries because of the specification and finishing. Few units involved in manufacturing of footwear got their machinery assembled from the local machinery suppliers. The servicing of the machineries is done locally, and the engineers/mechanics are available for servicing of these machines.

Following are principal industry associations that are working for the development of leather products:
► Council for Leather Exports (CLE): CLE is an outfit of Ministry of Commerce & Industry, GoI having regional office in HBTI Campus, Kanpur, and office in KLC Complex, Banthar, Unnao also. It is a member-based organization, and its mandate is to provide support to its members for increasing export. The membership fee is being charged based on export turnover. Major services provided by them are: i. Dissemination of information related to export marketing ii. Organizing trade fairs and buyers & sellers meet iii. Marketing Development Assistance iv. Advocacy support
► Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur: It has a separate consultancy department catering to needs of SMEs created for providing services in Energy conservation methods, Market & Finance, Innovative Product Design, Packaging, IT applications, Application of Multimedia
► MSME- Development Institute (MSME- DI), Kanpur: MSME-DIs are the subordinate offices of Development Commissioner, MSME. These offices are responsible for assisting MSMEs financially through schemes and improving their technical skills through skill upgradation / training programmes.
► Indian Industries Association, Unnao (IIA)
► Harness & Saddlery Exporters Association
► Provincial Industries Association (PIA)
► Testing Lab at KLC Complex (Kanpur-Unnao Leather Cluster)
► MSDC (Multi Skill Development Center) ;

HS code under which the product is exported from the district.;

The chapter focusses on the export scenario of India and Uttar Pradesh and then deep dives into the export statistics of 3 products codes 640510, 420500 and 420100 stating the target countries for market expansion for both the products. These HS codes are utilised for Leather Footwear, Saddlery and Non-Saddlery goods. The leather goods cluster’s total export value in Unnao is INR 733.01 Crore. ;

► The total exports of leather product from Unnao district were approx. INR 733.01 crores in year 2019-20.
► U.P. dominates Finished Leather and Saddlery and Harness products.
► In leather footwear, the share of U.P. is around 36%.
► The exporter needs to focus on leather goods Category which is the 2nd exported commodity under the Sector. The exporter of the district can increase their share under this category.
► The cluster has tremendous export potential, but owing to lack of proper market assessment mechanism, changing design patterns, specific demand preferences.
► India is the largest manufacturer of saddlery products in the world, having an estimated capacity of more than 50 million pieces p.a. India is positioned as the 3rd largest exporter in the world during 2020-21 predominantly covering the markets of Europe, North & South America, Australia, and Asia.
► The traditional West European & North American markets where most of the Indian Saddlery exporters have been focused is almost saturated. Hence, the exporters may look forward to diversifying to markets, such as, Canada, Turkey, Latin America, East–Europe, Middle east etc. The exporters may explore such markets through participation in trade fairs. Note: More than 91% of export from UP is concentrated in ITCHS code 6403 at 04-digit level whereas the significant global demand in respect of ITCHS codes 6402 and 6404 has been by and large not given due care by the footwear industry. It has been observed that 68 % of total export is concentrated under ITCHS code 640391. Other important HSN codes are 640399 and 640340. Accordingly, it becomes evident that export of leather footwear is concentrated in above 03 HS codes only. In lieu of above it is suggested that exporters of leather footwear sector should concentrate on diversifying their export. Global demand at 06-digit level has been analysed along with their prominent markets in below mentioned table: Leather saddlery (HSN code 420100) On the global front, India’s exports of this product account for 9% of the global exports, while the world’s largest exporters of this product – China, accounts for 39% of the global exports. Being in the same region, India is the primary competitor of China on this front and ranks 3rd among the largest global exporters of this product – behind China and Germany alone.
Below are the Target Markets and key issues faced by the industry. Target Markets: • Exporters should target Germany, USA, UK, France, Netherlands, Australia, Sweden, Italy, Belgium, Spain, Ireland, Denmark, Poland, Finland owing to established market presence by UP’s saddlery products. • Exporters should be made aware of Free Trade Agreements of India as FTA’s lead to reduce in tariff rates which boost export. S. Korea and Japan are focal points in this regard. • Exporters should also target GCC Countries as there is a huge untapped potential for exports • Key issues: • Exporters currently do not have adequate awareness of the various subsidies and freight schemes beneficial to expanding exports. • No unique branding exists for the district’s leather footwear cluster as a first step to generating market brand retention and visibility. • Domestic demand generation via tie-ups with e-commerce platforms such as Amazon needs to serve as a precedent to tapping global mark+ets. Target Markets: • Exporters should target USA, UK, France, Italy, Hong Kong, Poland and Netherlands owing to India’s already established market presence and Uttar Pradesh’s leather footwear already being present in these markets. • Exporters should be made aware of Free Trade Agreements of India as FTA’s lead to reduce in tariff rates which boost export. In this regard Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand are key markets. • Exporters should also target GCC Countries as there is a huge untapped potential for exports. Key issues: • Exporters currently do not have adequate awareness of the various subsidies and freight schemes beneficial to expanding exports. • No unique branding exists for the district’s leather footwear cluster as a first step to generating

Product Diversification – The Industry may focus on export of value-added items like Mineral free leather i.e., to develop leather without using chrome or other mineral tanning agents. Leather industries need model such as waste to wealth, below table shows the waste to wealth model:

Unnao is famous for processed meat. Export of processed meat from Unnao holds a prominent place in the Indian economy. There are six slaughterhouses in Unnao employing around 20000 workers. Buffalo meat is the main source of meat production and export. Some of major names include Indagro Foods Pvt Ltd, Standard Frozen Foods Export Pvt Ltd, Al Super Frozen Foods Pvt Ltd, Rustam Foods Pvt Ltd, Mash Agro Foods Ltd etc. These units contribute for major export of processed meat from the district. The cluster’s annual turnover in 2020-21 was around INR 4500 Cr . The export turnover from September 2020 to November 2021 was INR 3494 Cr . Total employment in the cluster is around 20,000.20

1. Boneless Meat of Bovine Animals 2. Other Edible Offal of Bovine Animals

► Chilled Boneless Buffalo Meat
► Chilled Boneless Buffalo Offal
► Frozen Boneless Buffalo Meat
► Frozen Boneless Buffalo Offal ;

Raw material supplier The primary raw material suppliers are farmers who supply the disease-free animals to the slaughterhouse. Unit owners & Workers There are 6 slaughterhouses involved in processing and export of meat. More than 20,000 workers are working in these units and are residing in Unnao, Kanpur, Lucknow, and nearby areas of Unnao. Machinery Supplier Most of the units are having modern abattoir cum meat processing plant with most of segments are fully automated.

Following are principal industry associations that are working for the development of leather products:
► The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA)
► MSME- Development Institute (MSME- DI), Kanpur: MSME-DIs are the subordinate offices of Development Commissioner, MSME. These offices are responsible for assisting MSMEs financially through schemes and improving their technical skills through skill upgradation / training programmes.
► Indian Industries Association, Unnao (IIA)
► Provincial Industries Association (PIA)
► MSDC ;

HS codes under which the product is exported from the district;

The export scenario of World and India have been analysed basis the export statistics of HS codes 020230 & 020629 under which meat is exported. Alongside are the key facts pertaining to the analysed product code. ;

► The total exports of boneless meat from the district as per HS code 020230 & 020629 is around INR 3494 crores from September 2020 to November 2021.
► India's exports represent 11% of world exports for this product, its ranking in world exports is 3 under HS code 020230 and 4 under HS Code 020629.
► Major Export Destinations (2020-21): Hong Kong, Qatar, Bhutan, Myanmar, Lao Product 020230: India exported this product to Hongkong, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Philippines, UAE etc. Below figure shows the top importers for this product are: