India Trade Statistics 2009

Cotton Apparel, Diamonds and Jewelry Among Major Indian Exports

Mar 31, 2010
Daniel Workman

India Trade Statistics Showcase India Diamonds - brendan.lally. (Flickr)

Dairy products and computers are among the fast-growing exports from India, while the U.S. maintains a competitive trade advantage in civilian aircraft products.

The value of Indian exports to the world slowed by 18% to an estimated US$165 billion in 2009 from $200.9 billion one year earlier. According to the CIA World Factbook, top trade customers for Indian exports are United Arab Emirates (12.3%), United States (11.7%), China (5.4%) and Singapore (4.5%).

India imported $253.9 billion worth of products from the rest of world in 2009, 21.2% less than the $322.3 billion in imported items during 2008. Major sources for India’s imports are China (10.8%), Saudi Arabia (6.9%), United States (6.7%), United Arab Emirates (6.7%) and Iran (4.2%).

Globally, India posted an $88.9 billion trade deficit for 2009. This was a 26.8% improvement over India’s $121.4 billion trade deficit in 2008.

India Trade with USA in 2009

Latest US Census Bureau statistics show that Indian exports to the U.S. fell 17.6% to $21.2 billion in 2009.

American import sales to India were $16.5 billion in 2009, down 6.9% from $17.7 billion in 2008.

India achieved a $4.7 billion trade surplus with the U.S. during 2009. That figure is 41.2% lower than India’s $8 billion surplus in 2008.

Major Export Sales from India

Major export sales from India to America showed only one product category with a percentage increase from 2008; the gaining product category was Indian pharmaceutical preparations. The remaining 9 major export sales categories had declines as high as 33.7% for Indian drilling and oil field equipment.

Cotton apparel and household goods … US$3.4 billion (16.3% of exports, down 6.9% from 2008)
Diamonds … $3.1 billion (14.5%, down 20.7%)
Pharmaceutical preparations … $2.2 billion (10.4%, up 11.4%)
Jewelry … $1.3 billion (6.2%, down 13%)
Industrial organic chemicals … $629.2 million (3%, down 6.3%)
Drilling and oil field equipment … $590.1 million (2.8%, down 33.7%)
Rugs and other textile floor coverings … $465.2 million (2.2%, down 18.2%)
Other industrial machinery … $458 million (2.16%, down 23.3%)
Other textile apparel and household goods … $455.9 million (2.15%, down 7.7%)
Other tobacco, waxes and nonfood oils … $410.6 million (2%, down 31.6%).

Fastest-Growing Indian Export Sales

Fastest-growing Indian export sales include 3 product categories with triple-digit increases.

Dairy products and eggs … US$3.9 million, up 199.7% from 2008
Computers … $8.8 million, up 174%
Other petroleum products… $356.5 million, up 120%
Precious metals other than gold … $24.7 million, up 117.7%
Records, tapes and disks … $18.2 million, up 66.6%
Cotton, wool and other natural fibers … $5.9 million, up 47.1%
Nuclear fuels and materials … $3.9 million, up 29.4%
Other materials excluding chemicals … $2.5 million, up 26.5%
Farming materials including farm animals … $6.3 million, up 18.5%
Other military equipment … $2.3 million, up 17.4%.

Major Products that India Imports from U.S.

In 2009, 7 of the major products that India imports from the U.S. had percentage gains. The lowest of these increases was 9.9% for organic chemicals.

Complete civilian aircraft and parts … US$2.2 billion, up 24.5% from 2008 (13.1% of imports)
Diamonds … $1.5 billion, down 14.8% (9%)
Chemical fertilizers … $1.3 billion, down 57.8% (7.8%)
Other petroleum products … $650.7 million, up 12% (4%)
Non-monetary gold… $645.2 million, up 28.9% (3.9%)
Telecommunications equipment … $582.7 million, down 10.6% (3.5%)
Organic chemicals … $535.9 million, up 9.9% (3.3%)
Industrial engines … $517 million, up 84.7% (3.1%)
Plastic materials … $508.6 million, up 41.1% (3%)
Steelmaking materials … $432.6 million, up 16.2% (2.6%).

Fastest-Growing American Products Imported by India

Fastest-growing American products imported by India represent a wide variety of goods, from military aircraft and industrial engines to frozen fruit juices and vegetables.

Oilseeds and food oils … US$123.6 million, up 2,666% from 2008
Military aircraft engines and turbines … $49.2 million, up 213.9%
Other commercial vessels … $3.1 million, up 186.7%
Bodies and chassis for passenger cars … $2.2 million, up 150.6%
Industrial engines … $517 million, up 84.7%
Fruits and frozen juices … $48.8 million, up 79.4%
Specialized mining equipment … $50.2 million, up 68.6%
Audio and visual tapes … $2.7 million, up 65.9%
Vegetables … $107.7 million, up 55.9%
Other manufactured agriculture goods … $39.7 million, up 45.4%.

India’s Competitive Trade Advantages and Disadvantages

India’s textile industry was responsible for almost $4 billion worth of clothing and other household goods exported to America in 2009. Materials for those major export sales from India were cotton and other textiles. In return, America earned $25 million from the sales of similar major products that India imports from the U.S.

Thus, India has a strong competitive advantage in trading textile products with the U.S. to the tune of about $4 billion per year.

In contrast, India shipped about $29 million worth of civilian aircraft products to the U.S. while importing $2.2 billion worth of civilian aircraft, engines and parts from America.

U.S. net exports of over $2 billion in trading civilian aircraft trade with India. These India trade statistics clearly show that one of America’s competitive trade advantages is in exporting civilian airplanes.