India's exports contract 10.3 percent in July

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's merchandise exports contracted for the eighth straight month in July, government data showed on Friday, marking a 10.3 percent drop year-on-year because of continuing weak global demand.

The trade deficit widened to $12.8 billion last month from $10.8 billion in June, the data released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry showed.

Imports fell 10.3 percent from a year earlier to $35.95 billion in July, while exports stood at $23.1 billion, the data showed.

(Reporting by Manoj Kumar; Editing by Frank Jack Daniel)