Feb trade deficit narrows to $8.1 billion - trade ministry

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Trade deficit narrowed in February on a sharp fall in imports, which would further ease pressure on the current account balance.

The trade deficit stood at $8.13 billion, more than 40 percent lower from a year ago, the data released by the trade ministry showed on Tuesday.

Imports continued to fall, driven by a decline in oil import bill and curbs on gold, the country's second-most expensive overseas purchase after oil.

Merchandise exports fell 3.67 percent from a year earlier to $25.69 billion, compared with 3.8 percent growth in January.

Imports fell 17.09 percent year-on-year to $33.82 billion, the data showed.

(Reporting by Manoj Kumar; editing by Malini Menon)