India’s exports rose 9.03 per cent to $38.49 billion in April, the highest in six months, driven by healthy growth in sectors such as electronics and engineering goods, while the trade deficit widened to a five-month high of $26.42 billion.
Photograph: Aly Song/Reuters
According to the commerce ministry data released on Thursday, imports increased by 19.12 per cent year-on-year to $64.91 billion in April due to a rise in shipments of crude oil and fertiliser.
The spurt in imports widened the trade deficit – the difference between the value of imports and exports – to the highest since November 2024 when it was recorded at $31.77 billion.
The sectors which recorded export growth during the month included tobacco, coffee, marine products, tea, ready-made garments of all textiles, rice, gems and jewellery, spices, petroleum products and pharmaceuticals.
The previous high exports growth was registered in October 2024 (16.6 per cent).
The outbound shipments of electronics and engineering goods rose 39.51 per cent and 11.28 per cent to $3.69 billion and $9.51 billion, respectively.
The shipments to the US increased 27.3 per cent during the month to $8.42 billion as exporters rushed their orders to beat the reciprocal tariffs announced by the Trump administration on April 2 that was later suspended till July 9.
The tariff differential between economies may have helped India boost shipments to the United States.
Crude oil imports in April rose 25.6 per cent to $20.7 billion while gold imports were up 4.86 per cent to $3.09 billion.
Commenting on the data, Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal said, “I hope India will maintain this export momentum and it should be a good year for us” despite global uncertainties.
“We have opened this year with a bang,” he told reporters here adding exporters have achieved resiliency in their businesses.
The secretary also said that the strategy to focus on 20 countries and six commodities is yielding positive results and the commerce ministry will continue to focus on this.
He added that many free trade agreements are going to be concluded soon.
According to the data, the estimated value of services exports for April 2025 was $35.31 billion compared to $30.18 Billion in April 2024.
The estimated value of services imports for April 2025 was $17.54 billion as compared to $16.76 billion in April 2024.
Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) secretary general Mithileshwar Thakur said India’s apparel exports grew by 14.43 per cent despite ongoing global economic challenges, currency fluctuations and the uncertainty surrounding US reciprocal tariff policy.
