# India PM cites export markets for Bihar makhana and Karnataka arhar in local-products pitch > In his 25 October radio address, Narendra Modi highlighted exports of fox nuts and pigeon peas alongside organic cotton, Khadi sales and millet-based products made by local producers. - Canonical URL: https://newsverum.com/en/news/india-mann-ki-baat-local-crops-crafts-market-links-2026 - Publisher: Newsverum - Section: Business - Country: India - Published: 2026-10-25T11:17:04+00:00 - Updated: 2026-10-25T11:17:04+00:00 - Event / data period: 2026-10-25 - Other editions: [Türkçe](https://newsverum.com/tr/news/india-mann-ki-baat-local-crops-crafts-market-links-2026.md), [العربية](https://newsverum.com/ar/news/india-mann-ki-baat-local-crops-crafts-market-links-2026.md), [Français](https://newsverum.com/fr/news/india-mann-ki-baat-local-crops-crafts-market-links-2026.md), [Español](https://newsverum.com/es/news/india-mann-ki-baat-local-crops-crafts-market-links-2026.md), [Deutsch](https://newsverum.com/de/news/india-mann-ki-baat-local-crops-crafts-market-links-2026.md), [Português](https://newsverum.com/pt/news/india-mann-ki-baat-local-crops-crafts-market-links-2026.md) Prime Minister Narendra Modi used his 139th Mann Ki Baat address on 25 October to highlight how local crops and crafts are reaching new consumers, including exports of makhana from Bihar’s Purnia district to Greece and arhar dal from Karnataka’s Kalaburagi to the Maldives. The speech presented the examples as signs of market access for Indian farmers; it did not provide shipment volumes, values or contract details. The address also described Nav-Trinjan, an initiative of Punjab’s Kheti Virasat Mission in the Malwa region. It promotes organic cotton grown without chemicals, including naturally coloured varieties that can avoid chemical dyeing. A weaving school linked to the project trains women in handloom skills. Modi recounted examples of former agricultural and domestic workers who had become weavers, but the speech gave no enrolment or production totals. Packaging and product development formed another strand. The speech said tribal makers in Maharashtra sell honey, mahua, chironji and bamboo-based goods under the Shabari Naturals initiative, with packaging reflecting tribal art and receiving Japan’s Good Design Award. It also mentioned a Karnataka start-up making packaging material from bamboo and agricultural residue. No sales, output or export figures were supplied for these ventures. For Khadi, the prime minister cited one-day sales by Khadi Gram Udyog of more than ₹28 crore on Gandhi Jayanti, ₹1.5 crore above the previous year. The address gave no product split or audited sales series, so the figure is a single-day total cited in the speech, not an annual turnover measure. It also did not specify how much reached individual producers. The speech connected value addition with renewed millet cultivation. In Meghalaya’s West Jaintia Hills, two women developed millet cookies, cakes, muffins and baby food; the address said sales growth was followed by rising demand for grain and renewed cultivation. In Nagaland’s Kezoma, cultivation resumed in 2024 after more than a decade, with a first millet festival in 2025. These are examples narrated by the prime minister, not a measured state-wide production trend. ## Data ### Khadi Gram Udyog sales figure cited in Mann Ki Baat One-day sales figure cited by the prime minister for Gandhi Jayanti 2026. Methodology: The speech states sales exceeded ₹28 crore on Gandhi Jayanti and were ₹1.5 crore above the previous year. This block records only the lower-bound one-day 2026 figure in crore INR; it is not annual turnover or independently audited data. | label | value | unit | period | basis | value_qualifier | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | Khadi Gram Udyog sales on Gandhi Jayanti, one day | 28 | crore INR | 2026-10-02 | observed | lower-bound | Sources: · Download data: [JSON](https://newsverum.com/api/v1/articles/india-mann-ki-baat-local-crops-crafts-market-links-2026/data/india-local-products-khadi-sales-2026?lang=en&format=json) · [CSV](https://newsverum.com/api/v1/articles/india-mann-ki-baat-local-crops-crafts-market-links-2026/data/india-local-products-khadi-sales-2026?lang=en&format=csv) ## Sources - [Prime Minister’s Office, Government of India (Press Information Bureau)]() (Source checked: 2026-10-25; Published: 2026-10-25) --- Cite the canonical URL above. [Editorial standards and corrections](https://newsverum.com/en/editorial)