Competitiveness unchecked: The story of India’s exports and factors impeding growth

Exports have been hovering around $300 billion since 2011-12. In the April-December period, exports fell 1.96% year-on-year to $239.29 billion while imports fell 8.9% to $357.39 billion, leaving a trade deficit of $118.10 billion. In FY19, total t...

Agencies

India’s share in world exports has increased from 0.6% in 1991 to 1.7% in 2018 but remains paltry compared with China’s 12.8%. Moreover, the country’s exports have hovered around $300 billion since 2011-12. Kirtika Suneja takes a look at India’s exports and the factors impeding their growth.

HIGH COSTS

REGULATORY HURDLES

LOPSIDED FTAs ADDED TO WOES

TRADE DEFICIT ($ BILLION)

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INVERTED DUTY STRUCTURE

SHARE OF INDIA’S INTERNATIONAL TRADE IN GDP

INDIA’S SHARE IN WORLD’S TOTAL TRADE

ACTION PLAN

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POTENTIAL EXPORT DRIVERS

• Rice
• Oilcake, residue from soybean oil
• Insecticides and similar products
• Specified woven fabrics of cotton
• Semifinished products of iron or nonalloy steel
• Structures and parts such as bridges etc.
• Spark-ignition or internal combustion engines
• Certain motorcycles and cycles

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