India needs to leverage FTAs, export promotion mission initiatives to boost shipments: CII's Budhia
Indian businesses are encouraged to utilise free trade agreements and the export promotion mission for expansion. Recent data shows that India’s merchandise exports have increased significantly over the past year. Services exports show a small decline yet cumulative growth remains positive compared to last year. Ongoing efforts aim to strengthen India’s overall export capabilities and…
Indian businesses must capitalize on free trade agreements (FTAs) and export promotion initiatives to expand their global presence, foster international collaborations, and increase shipments, according to Sanjay Budhia, Chairman of the CII National Committee on Exports and Managing Director of Patton International Ltd. During April-September 2026, India's cumulative exports reached USD 476.20 billion, showing a robust growth of 13.84 percent compared to the previous year.
Budhia highlighted the resilience and increasing competitiveness of Indian industries, particularly in electronics, engineering goods, chemicals, and textiles, which are contributing to the surge in exports. The nation has concluded eight free trade agreements in the past five years, including deals with Mauritius, the UAE, Oman, Australia, the EFTA bloc, the UK, and the EU, which will be finalized in December.
These agreements have already resulted in a 23 percent year-on-year increase in merchandise exports, reaching USD 44.4 billion in September, up from USD 36.08 billion in the same month last year. Cumulatively, during April-September 2026, exports grew by 18.51 percent to USD 259.89 billion. However, services exports saw a slight decline of 0.87 percent to USD 36.35 billion in September, compared to USD 36.67 billion in the previous year.
Cumulative services exports for April-September 2026-27 are projected at USD 216.31 billion, up from USD 199.02 billion in the previous period. The US, EU, and the UK dominate India's services exports, accounting for 85.1 percent of software exports, 18.6 percent for the EU, and 12.4 percent for the UK.
Written by urgent.news from The Economic Times - Economy's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
