India’s April exports jump 13.6% to $80 billion as services trade stays resilient 

India’s total exports, including merchandise and services, rose 13.59 percent year-on-year to an estimated $80.80 billion in April 2026, signalling a strong start to the new fiscal year despite continued pressure from rising imports. 

According to data released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, total imports during the month stood at an estimated $88.61 billion, up 7.67 percent from April 2025. The overall trade deficit narrowed to $7.81 billion from $11.16 billion a year ago. 

Merchandise exports during April 2026 climbed to $43.56 billion compared with $38.28 billion in the corresponding month last year, while merchandise imports increased to $71.94 billion from $65.38 billion. 

Services trade also remained resilient. Services exports are estimated at $37.24 billion for April 2026, up from $32.85 billion in April 2025, while services imports were estimated at $16.66 billion compared with $16.91 billion a year earlier. Services exports are estimated to have grown 13.36 percent year-on-year. 

Non-petroleum and non-gems & jewellery exports — often seen as a key indicator of core export strength — rose to $31.64 billion in April 2026 from $28.66 billion a year ago. Non-petroleum imports increased to $53.32 billion from $44.68 billion during the same period. 

Among major export sectors, cereals recorded the sharpest growth at 210.19 percent during April 2026. Other sectors posting strong gains included meat, dairy & poultry products at 48.03 percent, electronic goods at 40.31 percent, petroleum products at 34.66 percent and Handicrafts excluding handmade carpets at 26.21 percent. 

Marine Products, Engineering Goods, Coffee, Organic & Inorganic Chemicals and Drugs & Pharmaceuticals also registered positive growth during the month. 

On the import side, Chemical Material & Products saw the steepest contraction at 35.4 percent, followed by Pulses at 29.69 percent and Pearls, Precious & Semi-Precious Stones at 15.96 percent. Imports of Petroleum, Crude & Products also declined 10.03 percent year-on-year. 

In terms of export destinations, Singapore, Tanzania, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Hong Kong recorded the highest growth in trade value during April 2026 compared with the year-ago period. On the import front, China, Russia, Oman, Peru and Saudi Arabia emerged as the fastest-growing sourcing markets for India. 

The ministry noted that services trade data for April 2026 is provisional and based on estimates, as the latest Reserve Bank of India data available currently pertains to March 2026.