NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's merchandise exports contracted for the ninth straight month in August, government data showed on Tuesday, marking a 20.66 percent drop year-on-year because of continuing weak global demand.
The trade deficit marginally narrowed to $12.5 billion last month from $12.8 billion in July, the data released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry showed.
Imports fell 9.95 percent from a year earlier to $33.74 billion in August, while exports stood at $21.27 billion, the data showed.
(Reporting by Manoj Kumar; Editing by Douglas Busvine)
