December exports rise 28% from pre-pandemic level

First 3 weeks of month record $24 bn

India’s merchandise exports have hit $23.82 billion in the first three weeks of December, almost 28% higher than in the same period in the pre-COVID year 2019, the Commerce Ministry said on Monday.

The country’s exports in November stood at $30.04 billion, but imports had surged faster taking the country’s trade deficit that month to a record $22.9 billion.

“Exports in the first three weeks of this month are 36.2% [higher] over the same period of 2020 and up by 27.7% from the corresponding weeks in December 2019,” an official said, adding that outbound shipments in the third week of this month accounted for about $7.36 billion.