India’s exports grew 6.7% in August to $35.1 billion whereas imports fell 10.12% to $61.59 billion, in line with information launched by the commerce ministry on Monday. The autumn in imports was pushed by a pointy decline in gold shipments, which plunged almost 56%, bringing the merchandise commerce deficit all the way down to $26.49 billion in comparison with $35.64 billion a yr earlier.
The US remained India’s largest export vacation spot in August with outbound shipments price $6.86 billion, a 7.15% year-on-year enhance. Different main locations had been the UAE at $3.24 billion, the Netherlands at $1.83 billion, China at $1.21 billion and the UK at $1.14 billion.
On the import facet, China was the highest supply at $10.91 billion, adopted by Russia at $4.83 billion, the UAE at $4.66 billion, the US at $3.6 billion, and Saudi Arabia at $2.5 billion.
Cumulative merchandise and providers exports stood at $69.16 billion in August, in comparison with $63.25 billion in the identical month final yr. Mixed imports had been valued at $79.04 billion towards $84.99 billion in August 2024, leading to a commerce deficit of $9.88 billion.
Between April and August 2025, cumulative exports reached $349.35 billion, up from $329.03 billion in the identical interval of 2024, reflecting a 6.18% development.
Electronics, engineering items, gems and jewelry, petroleum merchandise and prescription drugs led merchandise export development in August. Digital items had been valued at $2.93 billion, engineering items at $9.9 billion, gems and jewelry at $2.31 billion, petroleum merchandise at $4.48 billion and prescription drugs at $2.51 billion.
Imports throughout the month included vegetable oils price $2 billion, fertilisers price $1.65 billion, coal, coke and briquettes price $2 billion, petroleum merchandise price $13.26 billion, chemical compounds price $2.49 billion, and digital gadgets price $9.73 billion. Gold imports dropped 56.67% to $5.43 billion from $12.55 billion in August 2024. Non-petroleum, non-gems and jewelry imports stood at $41.02 billion, almost flat from $41.41 billion final yr.
Companies commerce confirmed resilience. Exports had been estimated at $34.06 billion in August in comparison with $30.36 billion final yr, whereas imports had been at $17.45 billion towards $16.46 billion. In April-August 2025, providers exports reached $165.22 billion whereas imports stood at $84.25 billion, leaving a commerce surplus of $80.97 billion, up from $68.25 billion a yr earlier.
Commenting on the commerce efficiency, Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) President S C Ralhan stated, “The 6.7 per cent year-on-year development in exports for August 2025 is a welcome and inspiring signal for India’s export sector, particularly in gentle of ongoing international headwinds and geopolitical uncertainties. The decline in imports by over 10 per cent has additionally helped in easing the commerce deficit, which is now considerably decrease in comparison with the identical month final yr.”
(With inputs from PTI)
