Agri, Pharma, Electronics, Engineering Account for Over 50 % of India's Exports in FY25: Govt Data

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 $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 $29.12 billion in 2023-24 to $38.58 billion in the last fiscal year. It was $23.6 billion in 2022-23 and $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 $0.7 billion to $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 $116.67 billion. Drugs and pharmaceuticals exports grew 9.4 per cent to $30.47 billion while that of agri and allied sectors increased 7.36 per cent to $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 $73-83 billion. In 2021-22, they jumped to $112.2 billion and have remained above $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 $4.45 billion in 2024-25 from $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 $1.81 billion from $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 $0.92 billion in FY25 from $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 $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 $12.5 billion in FY25 from $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 $3.9 billion from $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 $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.