Historic performance in terms of exports was witnessed in the financial year 2025-26. Goods and services export figures crossed the $860 billion mark, reflecting the increasing position of India in international trade. According to data from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, total exports during April to March 2025-26 were $860.09 billion, an increase of 4.22 percent compared to $825.26 billion in the previous financial year.

Exports of goods increased marginally from $437.70 billion in 2024-25 to $441.78 billion in 2025-26. The merchandise exports figure in March stood at $38.92 billion, which is the highest figure recorded during the entire year. It was $36.61 billion in February. On the other hand, imports were reduced by 6.51 percent to $59.59 billion against $63.71 billion in February, resulting in the trade deficit being trimmed to $20.67 billion. But merchandise exports declined by 7.44 percent compared to a year ago.

The increase in US exports helped mitigate the impact of the war. Petroleum products and engineering goods played a key role in this growth. The engineering sector showed strength due to demand for machinery, auto parts, and industrial equipment. Meat and dairy exports also increased. Merchandise exports in March were $38.92 billion, down from $42.05 billion a year ago.

To deal with crises like the Iran war, the government provided more than 5.27 lakh credit guarantees to micro and small enterprises (MSMEs) in February-March, valued at over ₹92,000 crore. Furthermore, the government is considering introducing a credit scheme similar to the Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) for the MSME sector.

The Department of Financial Services, Ministry of Finance, is being consulted on the credit scheme. Meanwhile, the Reserve Bank has also increased the limit for unsecured loans from ₹10 lakh to ₹20 lakh. Rajneesh, Additional Secretary, Ministry of MSME, said the government is working with MSME associations and the National Small Industries Corporation to provide domestically sourced bulk raw materials to small industries. More than 2 million MSMEs registered on the Udyam portal in February-March, bringing the total number of registered MSMEs in the country to over 80 million.