Diwali orders from GCC countries push India's food exports higher
What's the story
India's food exporters are witnessing a major surge in overseas orders, particularly ahead of the Diwali festival. The Trade Promotion Council of India (TPCI) has noted that some markets have seen demand jump by over 15%. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region is leading this trend, with countries like Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain sourcing a variety of Indian products including sweets, snacks, rice and spices.
Export boost
Rise in demand for RTE and RTC products
The demand for ready-to-eat (RTE) and ready-to-cook (RTC) products is also on the rise, especially in Europe.
A German importer reported a 25% year-on-year (YoY) increase in RTE food imports, while a buyer from Kuwait reported an even higher growth of 28%.
TPCI chairman Mohit Singla said, "While the GCC serves as our immediate growth driver, Europe presents immense potential for the next phase of India's food export expansion."
Diverse exports
Traditional foods continue to dominate
Traditional festive foods like kaju katli, laddoo, bhujia, mixture, rice, and spices continue to account for a major share of orders.
However, exporters are also exploring frozen snacks, prepared meals, instant mixes, curries, Indian breads, and other packaged convenience foods.
This trend comes amid the overall growth in India's processed food exports, with ready-to-eat cooked food products seeing a 16% rise to $2.4 billion in 2025-26 from $2.1 billion last year.
Export hurdles
Challenges faced by exporters
Despite the growth, Indian food exporters are still dealing with high freight and container costs, customs delays, food-safety, and import compliance requirements.
They also have to deal with limited shelf life of products as well as geopolitical disruptions affecting West Asian shipping routes.
However, these challenges haven't stopped the upward trend in India's food exports to countries like the UAE, where exports rose from $2.3 billion in 2021 to $3.6 billion in 2025 at an annual growth rate of 11.3%.