India's Exports Grow in Double Digits in April-May: Official

• Exports rose 13.78% to $43.56 billion in April, but trade deficit widened to $28.38 billion on higher imports.

• Commerce Ministry will hire 1,000 to promote FTAs; pacts finalised with UK, New Zealand, EU and implemented with UAE, Oman, Australia, EFTA, Mauritius.

• Goyal targets $1 trillion exports this year, $2 trillion in five years; new talks for Israel, Canada, GCC, SACU, Russia, Central Asia, Mercosur.

The country's exports have recorded a double-digit growth during April-May 2026-27, a senior government official said on Monday.

The Commerce Ministry will release the trade data for May on June 15.

"During the two months, exports are in double-digit growth," the official said.

Exports rose by 13.78% to $43.56 billion in April, the highest monthly outbound shipments in more than four years, driven by petroleum products amid a surge in crude oil prices, but the trade deficit widened to a three-month high of $28.38 billion due to an uptick in imports.

The official also said that the commerce ministry will be hiring 1,000 people from across the country to disseminate information about free trade agreements being finalised by India.

"We need people from different languages," the official said, adding that paperwork is underway for the hiring process.

India has implemented FTAs with the UAE, Oman, Australia, the EFTA bloc and Mauritius. It has also finalised these pacts with the UK, New Zealand and the EU.

Further, while addressing the media on the India-Oman free trade agreement, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said this pact is part of India's nine free trade agreements finalised in the last three and a half years, which cover 38 developed nations.

These pacts secure preferential market access for goods and services from India, covering nearly two-thirds of global trade, he said.

"Our target is clear, one trillion dollars of exports in the current year and two trillion dollars of exports five years from now and towards that we are further negotiating free trade agreements with Israel, Canada, the six-nation GCC block," Goyal said.

He informed that India will soon launch talks for a trade pact with SACU (South Africa Customs Union) led by South Africa.

"We have already launched negotiations with the Eurasian group, Russia, and Central Asia. We have already started talking to Mercosur for expanding the preferential trade agreement with them. We have received an expression of interest from Mexico and from Ecuador," he added.