India’s Sept exports rise 23% as trade deficit narrows; shipments to US rise 11%

India's merchandise exports rose 23.04% year-on-year to $44.40 billion in September 2026, up from $36.08 billion a year earlier, according to data released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry on Thursday.The merchandise trade deficit narrowed to $30.21 billion from $33 billion in September last year, even as imports increased to $74.61 billion from $69.08 billion, the data showed.India's overall exports, including merchandise and services, grew 10.99% to an estimated $80.75 billion in September, compared with $72.76 billion a year earlier.Overall imports rose to $94.05 billion from $86.93 billion, while the combined trade deficit narrowed to $13.30 billion from $14.17 billion, according to the ministry.Electronics, engineering goods drive export growthCommerce secretary Rajesh Agrawal said merchandise shipments were driving the growth in exports."If you look at merchandise exports in September, they are at $44.40 billion, which is 23.04 per cent higher than last September," he said during a press briefing, according…