New Delhi: The government data released on Monday mentioned that India’s merchandise exports went down marginally by 0.81 per cent to USD 36.61 billion in February. The country’s imports recorded a jump of 24.11 per cent to USD 63.71 billion in the previous month, while it stood at USD 51.33 billion a year ago. The trade deficit was recorded at USD 27.1 billion during the month under review.
Commenting on the trade data for the month of February, Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said that the country’s exports are doing well despite challenges. Addressing the media, the high ranking official said the country’s exports during the April-February period of FY26 rose 1.84 per cent to USD 402.93 billion.
However, imports also recorded a jump of 8.53 per cent to USD 713.53 billion during the period. Agrawal further said that exports in March would be hit due to the challenges on account of the West Asia crisis.
The US-Israel and Iran military conflict has led to widespread disruptions in trade routes, particularly in the Strait of Hormuz.
India’s sugar exports
India exported 3.15 lakh tonne sugar during October-February in 2025-26 financial year. The United Arab Emirates emerged as the top destination for sugar exports, the All India Sugar Trade Association (AISTA) said on Monday.
The Indian government controls the sugar exports through quotas distributed proportionally among mills. The central government has given the nod for total exports of 2 million tonne for 2025-26 marketing year (October-September), including an additional 5,00,000 tonne permitted recently.
In its statement, AISTA said white sugar accounted for 2,57,971 tonne of total shipments, with refined sugar making up 53,664 tonne.
The UAE was at the top with 79,683 tonne of sugar imports from India, Afghanistan was at second with 71,813 tonne, Djibouti and Tanzania followed with 45,801 tonne and 21,330 tonne, respectively
“India will be able to do physical shipments of more than 8,00,000 tonne, including to Asian and Gulf countries,” AISTA Chairman Praful Vithalani said.