Trade deficit for Feb widens to $3.96 bn: India’s exports climb 11%, imports surge 21%

India’s combined merchandise and services exports reached $76.13 cardinal successful February 2026, marking an 11.04%increase from $68.56 cardinal successful February 2025, the commerce ministry said connected Monday.

At the aforesaid time, imports surged adjacent much sharply, rising 21.61% to $80.09 cardinal from $65.84 cardinal a twelvemonth earlier. This led to a widened wide commercialized shortage of $3.96 cardinal for February, compared with a shortage of $2.72 cardinal successful the aforesaid period past year. Merchandise exports successful February dipped somewhat to $36.61 cardinal from $36.91 billion, portion imports jumped from $51.33 cardinal to $63.71 billion. Services exports, meanwhile, roseate to $39.53 cardinal from $31.65 billion, and services imports accrued to $16.38 cardinal from $14.51 billion.

For the fiscal twelvemonth truthful acold (April–February), wide exports are estimated astatine $790.86 billion, up from $747.58 cardinal successful the erstwhile year, reflecting maturation of astir 5.8 per cent, oregon astir $42–43 billion. India had antecedently acceptable a grounds with full exports of $824.9 cardinal successful 2024–25, exceeding projections of $800 cardinal and marking a 6.01 per cent emergence from $778.1 cardinal successful 2023–24. Commenting connected the data, commerce caput Rajesh Agrawal said, “The country’s exports are doing good contempt challenges.”

He added that exports during April–February of FY26 accrued 1.84%to $402.93 billion, portion imports roseate 8.53% to $713.53 billion. Agrawal besides warned that March exports could dilatory owed to logistical disruptions caused by the West Asia crisis, which began connected February 28 with US and Israeli subject enactment against Iran and has impacted captious commercialized routes, including the Strait of Hormuz.