New Delhi: Maharashtra has emerged as the top-performing large state in the NITI Aayog’s latest Export Preparedness Index report, followed by Tamil Nadu and Gujarat, underscoring the dominance of coastal and manufacturing-heavy states in the country’s exports landscape.
The fourth edition of the Export Preparedness Index (EPI) 2024 report was released Wednesday by the NITI Aayog. The report evaluates the export capabilities of states and Union Territories (UTs) based on performance, readiness and future potential, using only merchandise export data.
Speaking at the launch of the report, NITI Aayog CEO B.V.R. Subrahmanyam underscored the critical role of land, labour, infrastructure and utilities, that are under state control, in driving exports.
“The Government of India has ticked a lot of boxes as far as promoting exports are concerned, but actually, all the factors of production are with the state government,” he said, adding the responsibility of driving India’s next phase of export growth now rests with states.
In the report, Maharashtra has emerged as the top-performing large state with a score of 68.01 due to its diversified export base, port-led infrastructure and strong industrial ecosystem. Tamil Nadu (64.41) and Gujarat (64.02) followed closely.
Other large states classified as ‘leaders’ include Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Punjab and Telangana. In contrast, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Bihar and Jharkhand were placed in the ‘aspirers’ category, indicating early-stage exports development that require policy and infrastructure push.
Among small states and UTs, Uttarakhand topped the rankings with a score of 52.07, followed by Jammu and Kashmir (51.08) and Nagaland (46.42). Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Goa, Tripura, Assam, Puducherry and Chandigarh were also categorised as ‘leaders’.
On the other end of spectrum, Arunachal Pradesh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Mizoram, Manipur and Lakshadweep remained in the aspirer category, scoring below 32.
Under the EPI framework, the NITI Aayog has divided regions into large states and small states, North-East and UTs, and further classified them into ‘leaders’, ‘challengers’ and ‘aspirers’. Leaders are states that consistently demonstrate strong export performance, challengers show emerging potential, while aspirers are still building foundational capacities.
The EPI 2024 framework evaluates states across four pillars — Business Ecosystem (40 percent weightage), Export Infrastructure (20 percent weightage), Policy and Governance (20 percent), and Export Performance (20 percent). These are broken down into 13 sub-pillars and assessed using 70 parameters, of which 50 are vital and 20 are desirable.
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Deeper look into Uttar Pradesh & Punjab
A closer look at Uttar Pradesh reveals how non-coastal states are beginning to climb the export ladder. With a score of 62.09 and exports worth Rs 1.72 lakh-crore in FY 2024, UP ranked fourth among large states.
According to the report, UP’s core export sectors include electronic goods, leather and footwear, agriculture and food processing, and textiles, while defence manufacturing, renewable energy equipment, organic food and medical devices are emerging as new growth areas.
“Uttar Pradesh has developed a robust logistics and industrial infrastructure to support its trade and industry. It is home to 14 operational Special Economic Zones (SEZs) and 227 industrial parks, which houses a range of manufacturing and service-based industries,” report states.
It adds, “The top export category smartphones and communication devices demonstrate the state’s emerging electronics manufacturing capability, aligning well with the “Make in India and PLI (Production Linked Incentive) initiatives.”
Punjab with a score of 58.32 emerged as a surprise performer, ranking above Telangana and close behind Karnataka. The state recorded exports worth Rs 56,300 crore in FY 2024, including Rs 7,003 crore worth of basmati and non-basmati rice.
“Sectors such as textiles, hand tools, auto components, bicycles, and Agri-processing are key contributors to Punjab’s export performance, with MSMEs playing a critical role through an extensive network of industrial clusters,” the report states.
According to the NITI Aayog report, Punjab’s performance has also been aided by targeted policy interventions such as the Punjab Industrial and Business Development Policy 2022 and the Integrated Logistics and Logistics Park Policy 2023, which focus on industrial incentives and logistics infrastructure.
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)
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