India's exports rise across geographies; Africa, ASEAN lead growth in Apr-Aug

India’s merchandise exports registered strong growth across key regions, including Africa, ASEAN and North-East Asia, during April-August of FY27, reflecting the impact of efforts to diversify export markets, according to Commerce Ministry data.

Shipments to West Asia, which were hit by the US-Iran war, have also been recovering gradually, rising from $4.2 billion in April to $5.01 billion in August. Exports to the region stood at $6.48 billion in January this year.

Exports to Africa surged 47% to $26.19 billion in April-August FY27, up from $17.83 billion in the year-ago period. The continent’s share in India’s total exports increased to 12.2% from 9.7% over the same period.


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Within Africa, shipments to East Africa nearly doubled, rising 94% to $8.95 billion. Exports to the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) grew 53% to $5.09 billion, while those to North Africa increased 33% to $4.03 billion. West Africa recorded a more modest growth of 7% to $5.57 billion.

Exports to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) rose 56% to $23.08 billion, while shipments to North-East Asia grew 37% to $21.03 billion during the five-month period. Exports to South Asia and other European countries increased 24%.

The data also showed robust growth in select product categories. Exports of light-duty trucks and medium-duty trucks rose 71% and 67%, respectively, during April-August FY27, indicating strong overseas demand.

Optical fibre and cable exports jumped 158% to $483 million, while shipments of electrical control boards nearly doubled to $303 million. Demand in markets such as the US, China, Singapore and Poland supported the growth in these categories.

Overall, India’s merchandise exports increased 18.51% to $259.89 billion in April-September FY27, compared with $219.30 billion in the corresponding period of the previous fiscal year.

(With PTI inputs)