Farmers in the Prayagraj division have expanded beyond local mandis to tap into global markets, resulting in a notable increase in agricultural exports. The shift resulted in record outbound shipments during the financial year 2025–26, officials said on Saturday.
Assistant agriculture marketing officer Dinesh Chandra said the division exported 19,172.9 metric tonnes of rice, generating ₹75.77 crore in foreign exchange. The export basket also included aonla, green vegetables like okra and green chillies, along with groundnuts and non-basmati rice.
Rice emerged as the leading export commodity, accounting for the bulk of the division’s total agricultural export volume, which stood at 19,683.71 metric tonnes worth ₹79.95 crore. A significant portion of rice shipments was also exported to Nepal. Groundnuts ranked second, generating ₹2.96 crore through exports to Bangladesh, he added.
Prayagraj is a significant rice-producing district in the Uttar Pradesh Gangetic plains, specialising in both traditional and high-yield paddy cultivation. Key cultivation occurs in areas like Soraon (trans-Ganga) and Jasra (trans-Yamuna), with an average yield of approximately 61.91 quintals per hectare. The region is a key agricultural hub for paddy, including specialised varieties.
Notably, farmers from the region have expanded their reach to international markets including Canada, the UK, Dubai, and Bangladesh, signaling a structural shift in agricultural trade patterns, said Chandra.
Despite ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East involving Iran, the US, and Israel, exports from the region remained largely unaffected. In March 2026 alone, the division exported 843 metric tonnes of produce worth ₹3.26 crore. This included 3 metric tonnes of aonla-based products shipped to Dubai and Canada, valued at ₹0.66 crore, they added.
Officials attributed the surge to growing export awareness among farmers and stronger market linkages—a significant step toward boosting rural incomes and integrating local agriculture with global supply chains.
