India’s merchandise exports rose sharply across Africa and Asia in April-August, while shipments to West Asia recovered as regional trade conditions stabilised.
India’s merchandise exports widened across several regions in April-August, with the strongest gains coming from Africa and south-east Asia, according to Commerce Ministry data that point to the effect of New Delhi’s push to diversify overseas markets. Shipments to West Asia, which had been disrupted by the US-Iran conflict, also moved closer to earlier levels as trade conditions steadied.
The data showed exports to Africa rose 47% year on year to $26.19 billion in the five months to August in 2026-27, lifting the continent’s share of India’s total exports to 12.2% from 9.7% a year earlier. East Africa almost doubled, increasing 94% to $8.95 billion, while sales to the Southern African Customs Union climbed 53% to $5.09 billion. North Africa grew 33% to $4.03 billion, and West Africa rose 7% to $5.57 billion.
Exports to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations increased 56% to $23.08 billion, while shipments to North-East Asia advanced 37% to $21.03 billion. Sales to South Asia and other European countries were up 24%. Within the product mix, light-duty truck exports rose 71% and medium-duty truck shipments gained 67%, reflecting firmer overseas demand. Optical fibre and cable exports jumped 158% to $483 million, and electrical control boards nearly doubled to $303 million, helped by demand in markets including the United States, China, Singapore and Poland.
India’s shipments to West Asia rose from $4.2 billion in April to $5.01 billion in August, after reaching $6.48 billion in January, indicating a gradual recovery towards pre-crisis levels. Overall, India’s merchandise exports increased 18.51% to $259.89 billion in April-September 2026-27 from $219.30 billion in the same period a year earlier, underscoring the broader export momentum.
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