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India's exports increased by 23 per cent to USD 44.4 billion in September, and the trade deficit narrowed to USD 30.21 billion, government data released on Thursday said. The country's imports rose by 8 per cent to USD 74.61 billion in September. India's trade deficit in September 2025 stood at USD 33 billion. During April-September this fiscal, exports jumped 18.51 per cent to USD 259.89 billion, and imports climbed 16.31 per cent to USD 437.53 billion. Exports are maintaining their growth trend, Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agarwal said in a press briefing on trade data.
India's tanker exports surged more than six-fold to USD 1.36 billion in the June quarter from USD 221.1 million a year earlier, signalling the country's growing shipbuilding and maritime engineering capabilities, with the UAE emerging as the largest destination during the period, according to commerce ministry data. Tankers are large-scale transport ships engineered for the bulk movement of liquids and gases. They serve as a cornerstone of global energy networks and industrial supply chains, they safely distribute vital commodities, including crude oil, petroleum products, chemicals, liquefied natural gas (LNG), and fresh water. The data showed that export volumes also expanded significantly from 10 vessels to 23 vessels, reflecting increasing international demand for Indian-built tankers and marine transportation assets. It added that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) emerged as the dominant export destination, accounting for USD 900.8 million worth of tanker imports in April-June ...
India's exports to key free trade agreement (FTA) partner countries witnessed strong growth in the first quarter of 2026-27, with outbound shipments to Singapore and Sri Lanka more than doubling, according to the commerce ministry data. India has so far signed 17 FTAs with a number of countries and groups, including Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, Mauritius, the UAE, Australia, the European Union, Asean and the EFTA bloc. Out of this, 16 are operational. The data showed that exports to Singapore surged 101.2 per cent to USD 6.52 billion during April-June 2026, from USD 3.24 billion in the year-ago period, while shipments to Sri Lanka rose 123.8 per cent to USD 2.35 billion from USD 1.05 billion. The shipments to the ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) region grew 61.6 per cent to USD 14.61 billion in the first quarter of this fiscal, from USD 9.04 billion in April-June 2025-26. Exports to the South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) region rose 36.6 per cent to USD 8.40 ..
India's exports increased by 19.63 per cent to USD 44.24 billion in July, even as the trade deficit widened to USD 31.98 billion. Imports rose by about 17.52 per cent to USD 76.22 billion in July. During April-July this fiscal, exports jumped 17.04 per cent to USD 173.78 billion, and imports climbed 19.27 per cent to USD 292.38 billion. India's exports to West Asian countries rose 8.62 per cent to USD 5.7 billion in July, Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agarwal said in a press briefing on trade data. Agarwal attributed the increase in the country's outbound shipments to higher exports of petroleum products, electronics, engineering and marine goods.
Vizhinjam International Seaport has secured Customs approval to commence EXIM operations, its operator, VISL, said on Saturday. Vizhinjam International Seaport Ltd said the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs has granted final approval for the port to officially commence EXIM cargo operations from August 18. "While Vizhinjam International Seaport, Thiruvananthapuram, has so far functioned exclusively as an international transshipment hub, export-import cargo operations shall commence with effect from August 18, 2026. "Customs regulation of EXIM cargo will be carried out in coordination with various government and facilitating agencies, such as VISL, AVPPL, the Mercantile Marine Department, the Port Health Organisation, the Bureau of Immigration, the Coastal Police, authorised banks and port security agencies," the CBIC order dated July 24 said. As there is currently no designated Container Freight Station attached to the port, the CBIC has imposed several conditions governi
The government on Thursday permitted FDI in an inventory-based e-commerce model "exclusively" for export purposes, a move which will help increase India's outbound shipments without impacting the businesses of small retailers. These firms will have to export goods that are manufactured or produced in India. However, FDI in the inventory-based e-commerce model retailing is not permitted. "In order to facilitate greater exports through easier and increased access of global markets by Indian sellers, the extant FDI Policy has been reviewed and it is decided that the restrictions on inventory-based model of e-commerce shall not apply in case of exports of domestically manufactured and/or produced goods/products," the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) said in a press note. DPIIT, an arm of the commerce and industry ministry, deals with foreign direct investment (FDI) related issues. It releases policy changes through press notes (PNs). As per the current F