India’s merchandise trade deficit widened to $30.21 billion in September from $26.86 billion in August, according to provisional data released by the commerce ministry on Thursday.
Merchandise exports rose to $44.40 billion in September from $43.81 billion in the previous month, while imports increased to $74.61 billion against $70.67 billion in August.
India’s merchandise exports jumped 23.04% year-on-year to $44.4 billion in September, while imports rose 8% to $74.61 billion, according to the data.
India’s overall exports, including merchandise and services, rose 13.84% year-on-year to $476.20 billion during April–September, the data showed. Imports rose 15.68% to $551.13 billion, widening the trade deficit to $74.93 billion from $58.10 billion.
Merchandise exports during the first six months of FY27 rose 18.51% to $259.89 billion in the corresponding period of FY26. Imports increased 16.31% to $437.53 billion from $376.17 billion, taking the merchandise trade deficit to $177.64 billion, compared with $156.87 billion a year earlier.
exports were pegged at $216.31 billion during April–September 2026, up 8.69% from $199.02 billion in the year-ago period. Services imports increased 13.32% to $113.60 billion from $100.24 billion.
The ministry said India’s overall exports reached record levels in both the first and second quarters of FY27. Exports stood at $233.6 billion during April–June and $242.6 billion during July–September, the highest recorded for the respective quarters.
Trade partners
The US remained India’s largest merchandise destination during April–September, with shipments rising to $50.81 billion from $45.73 billion a year earlier. Exports to China increased to $11.41 billion from $8.39 billion, while shipments to Singapore more than doubled to $11.07 billion from $5.45 billion.
Meanwhile, China remained India’s largest source, with imports increasing to $80.35 billion from $62.86 billion. Imports from Russia rose to $47.29 billion from $31.12 billion, while those from the United States increased to $32.33 billion from $25.66 billion.
imports declined 27.32% to $19.27 billion during April–September from $26.51 billion in the corresponding period last year. In September alone, gold imports stood at $1.80 billion, compared with $9.61 billion a year earlier.