India’s merchandise exports in August’s first three weeks surged 15% year-on-year to over $25 billion, signalling a robust start to the second quarter despite a widening trade deficit, according to official estimates.
India’s merchandise exports for the first 21 days of August are estimated to have climbed 15% from a year earlier to more than $25 billion, according to an official cited by NDTV Profit. The same official said the country’s exports for the April-to-21 August period had already crossed $200 billion, underscoring a firm start to the second quarter of the financial year. The commerce ministry is due to publish the full August trade figures next month.
The latest estimate builds on a strong July, when exports rose 19.63% to $44.24 billion, even as the trade deficit widened to $31.98 billion. Between April and July, exports increased 17.04% to $173.78 billion, while imports advanced 19.27% to $292.38 billion, reflecting both stronger outbound shipments and robust demand for foreign goods.
India’s export performance has been uneven over the past few years, with annual swings shaped by commodity prices, global demand and changes in oil imports. Government data released last year showed cumulative overall exports of $374.33 billion in April-August 2024, up 5.35% from the same period a year earlier, while merchandise exports in that span rose 1.14% to $178.68 billion. Earlier ministry data also showed April-August merchandise exports of $192.59 billion in 2022-23, after a much weaker showing in 2023.
The August figures suggest that external trade has remained resilient so far this fiscal year, even with the import bill still growing faster than exports. A stronger export run would help ease pressure on the trade balance, though the final picture will depend on the rest of August and whether global conditions support the trend into the next reporting month.
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