New Delhi: Agriculture, pharma, electronics, and engineering goods together accounted for over 50 per cent of India's merchandise exports in 2024-25, according to government data, highlighting the country's growing strength in diverse sectors amid efforts to boost manufacturing and value-added exports.
Engineering goods contributed the highest share of 26.67 per cent to India's USD 437.42 billion exports in 2024-25, while agriculture, pharmaceuticals, and electronics accounted for 11.85 per cent, 6.96 per cent, and 8.82 per cent, respectively.
The data showed that the electronic goods sector saw the highest export growth rate at 32.46 per cent, jumping from USD 29.12 billion in 2023-24 to USD 38.58 billion in the last fiscal year. It was USD 23.6 billion in 2022-23 and USD 15.7 billion in 2021-22.
Within this, computer hardware and peripherals, which form 3.8 per cent of the sector, saw 101 per cent growth, doubling from USD 0.7 billion to USD 1.4 billion.
The main destinations for electronic goods were the UAE, the US, the Netherlands, the UK, and Italy.
Engineering goods' shipments rose 6.74 per cent year-on-year to USD 116.67 billion. Drugs and pharmaceuticals exports grew 9.4 per cent to USD 30.47 billion while that of agri and allied sectors increased 7.36 per cent to USD 51.86 billion in 2024-25.
The main export destinations for engineering goods were the US, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, the UK, and Germany.
From 2014-15 to 2020-21, exports in this segment hovered in the range of USD 73-83 billion. In 2021-22, they jumped to USD 112.2 billion and have remained above USD 100 billion since.
According to the latest data, India drugs and pharmaceuticals are reaching over 200 countries now and since 2014-15, the exports are rising continuously.
In the agri sector, key commodities that recorded healthy growth rates include spices, coffee, tea, tobacco, rice, fruits and vegetables, and marine products.
Spice shipments rose marginally to USD 4.45 billion in 2024-25 from USD 4.25 billion in 2023-24. Key export destinations included China, the US, the UAE, Bangladesh, and Thailand, with products like chilli, cumin, turmeric, and ginger leading the basket.
On the other hand, India's coffee exports rose to USD 1.81 billion from USD 1.29 billion in 2023-24. The country, which is the seventh largest coffee producer globally, exported mainly Robusta coffee to countries like Italy, Russia, Germany, the UAE, Belgium, and the USA.
Karnataka remains the leading coffee-producing state, followed by Kerala, with several varieties enjoying geographical indication (GI) status.
The export of tea grew to USD 0.92 billion in FY25 from USD 0.83 billion in FY24. Major production states include Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala, with 81 per cent of production consumed domestically.
Similarly, tobacco exports stood at USD 1.98 billion in 2024-25 from USD 1.45 billion in 2023-24. India is the second-largest tobacco producer in the world, with major export destinations including the UAE, Belgium, Indonesia, Egypt, the USA, and Turkey.
The sector provides livelihoods to around 45.7 million people, with production concentrated in Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Karnataka.
India's rice exports touched a record high of USD 12.5 billion in FY25 from USD 10.4 billion in 2023-24, maintaining the country's position as the top global exporter with nearly 40 per cent market share.
Key destinations included Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, the UAE, the USA, and Yemen.
Exports of fruits and vegetables reached USD 3.9 billion from USD 3.7 billion in 2023-24. India exported grapes, pomegranates, mangoes, bananas, oranges, onions, potatoes, tomatoes, mixed vegetables, and green chillies under the two categories.
Bangladesh, the UAE, the Netherlands, Nepal, and Malaysia were among the largest importers.
Marine product exports were valued at USD 7.2 billion in FY25. The number of countries importing Indian marine products also rose from 105 in 2014-15 to 130 in 2024-25.
Disclaimer: This is a syndicated feed. The article is not edited by the FPJ editorial team.
