India’s merchandise exports rose 23 percent in September to 44.40 billion dollars, official data released on 15 October showed, giving the country’s trade balance a boost at a time when higher oil prices and global uncertainty are weighing on many economies. Exports were up 23.04 percent from 36.08 billion dollars in September last year, according to figures from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry reported by ANI.
Imports also rose, but more slowly. Merchandise imports increased about 8 percent to 74.61 billion dollars from 69.08 billion dollars a year earlier. Because exports grew faster than imports, the merchandise trade deficit narrowed to 30.21 billion dollars from 33 billion dollars in September 2025, an improvement of about 2.79 billion dollars.
The ministry said growth was driven by higher shipments of electronic goods, petroleum products, engineering goods, chemicals and agricultural products. For the July-September quarter, overall exports were estimated at 242.6 billion dollars, the highest ever for a second quarter, with export growth of 15.84 percent in the quarter against 11.84 percent in the April-June quarter.
Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said exports were maintaining their growth momentum. Business Today reported that in the first half of the financial year, April to September, merchandise exports rose 18.51 percent to 259.89 billion dollars, while merchandise imports grew 16.31 percent to 437.53 billion dollars. Imports are therefore still growing nearly as fast as exports over the half year, leaving a merchandise gap of about 177.6 billion dollars.
The data arrives as India deepens its trade ties. The India-UK trade agreement took effect in July, and the India-New Zealand agreement came into force this week, while the first tranche of a deal with the United States is under legal drafting. Exporters will hope those agreements turn today’s momentum into lasting market access.