Engineering exports continued to grow in 2026-27 after achieving record high in 2025-26

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June-2026 engineering exports hit peak growth for fiscal 2024-2025

Indian engineering exports continued its growth run for the third month in a row to July 2024 albeit a lower 3.66% year-on-year growth as against over 10% in June 2024. Cumulative exports during Apr-Jul 2024 also recorded 4.18% growth over the same period last fiscal. Share of engineering in overall merchandise exports was at an impressive 26.6% in July 2024 and 25.6% on a cumulative basis. Growth in engineering exports in July 2024 was attributed to decent rise in shipments of Electrical machinery, automobile and auto components, construction machineries including the cranes, lifts and winches, etc.

Trade Flow Export figures(in $ billion) Growth (%)
Jul-2025 Jul-2026 Apr-Jul 2023-24 Apr-Jul 2024-25 Jul-2026 over Jul-2025 Apr-Jul 2023-24 over Apr-Jul 2024-25
Engineering exports 9.51 11.48 28.91 34.14 20.74% 18.09%
Overall Merchandise exports 34.98 40.41 111.57 129.32 15.54% 15.92%
Share of engineering (%) 27.18% 28.40% 25.92% 26.40% --- ---
Service Exports 32.11 33.03 97.41 103.41 2.87% 6.16%

Source : Compiled from data by DGCI&S and Quick Estimates published by the Government of India.


Engineering Exports: Monthly Trend

The monthly engineering figures for 2024-25 vis-à-vis 2023-24 are shown below as per the latest DGCI&S estimates:

Table 1: Engineering Exports: Monthly Trend in 2024-25

US$ million

Month 2023-24 2024-25 Growth (%)
April 9515.77 10351.01 8.78
May 9890.43 12311.33 24.48
June 9506.71 11478.69 20.74
April-June 28912.91 34143.99 18.09

Source : DGCIS, Govt. of India

TOP 25 ENGINEERING EXPORT DESTINATIONS IN April-June 2024-25

We now look at the export scenario of the top 25 nations that had highest demand for Indian engineering products during July 2024 over July 2023 as well as in cumulative terms during April-July 2024-25 vis-à-vis April-July 2023-24. The data clearly shows that top 25 countries contribute 76.3% of total engineering exports.

Table 2: Engineering exports country wise

(US$ million)

Countries Jul-2025 Jul-2026 Growth (%) April-June 2023-24 April-June 2024-25 Growth (%)
U S A 1738.94 1949.07 12.08% 5136.35 5589.26 8.82%
SINGAPORE 371.85 545.87 46.8% 1236.88 1204.08 -2.65%
U ARAB EMTS 630.65 448.78 -28.84% 1854.23 2028.46 9.4%
GERMANY 394.94 448.16 13.48% 1159.41 1334.02 15.06%
U K 413.32 376.57 -8.89% 1137.07 1349.09 18.65%
CHINA P RP 208.14 361.47 73.67% 581.22 1000.65 72.17%
SAUDI ARAB 364.79 324.65 -11% 1096.25 1056.78 -3.6%
MEXICO 259.66 310.01 19.39% 785.8 933.24 18.76%
JAPAN 190.28 300.4 57.87% 636.68 729.52 14.58%
SOUTH AFRICA 232.22 270.22 16.36% 619.76 819.85 32.28%
OMAN 49.77 258.97 420.3% 204.67 459.86 124.68%
FRANCE 185.8 255.96 37.76% 538.28 682.33 26.76%
KOREA RP 241.94 245.55 1.49% 715.14 884.24 23.65%
ITALY 240.94 239.66 -0.53% 784.03 774.86 -1.17%
VIETNAM SOC REP 110.64 236.38 113.65% 344.52 616.29 78.88%
NEPAL 183.4 217.84 18.78% 617.93 685.94 11.01%
EGYPT A RP 90.33 205 126.95% 219.02 415.16 89.56%
NETHERLAND 182.92 203.3 11.14% 553.62 599.48 8.28%
MALAYSIA 79.87 195.83 145.18% 271.24 679.95 150.68%
THAILAND 176.65 194.74 10.24% 526.98 520.3 -1.27%
SPAIN 104.84 193.89 84.94% 349.1 518.89 48.63%
BRAZIL 203.41 188.8 -7.18% 631.15 616.99 -2.24%
SRI LANKA DSR 149.12 188.09 26.13% 296.45 848.23 186.13%
INDONESIA 108.88 178.85 64.27% 404.34 518.09 28.13%
TURKEY 148.03 158.5 7.07% 516.86 511.59 -1.02%
Total engineering exports to top 25 countries 7061.33 8496.53 20.32% 21216.98 25377.17 19.61%
Total engineering exports 9506.71 11478.69 20.74% 28912.91 34143.99 18.09%

Source : DGCI&S

REGION WISE INDIA’S ENGINEERING EXPORTS

The following table depicts region wise India’s engineering exports for April-July 2024 as opposed to April-July 2023.

In this section we look at the Engineering Panel wise exports for the month of July 2024 vis-à-vis July 2023 as well as the cumulative exports for April-July 2024-25 vis-à-vis April-July 2023-24. These are indicated in the tables below.

Table 3: Region wise engineering exports in April-February 2023-2024 vis-à-vis April-June 2023-2024

(US$ million)

Regions Jul-2025 Jul-2026 Growth (%) April-June 2023-24 April-June 2024-25 Growth (%)
NORTH AMERICA 2108.14 2408.71 14.26% 6244.12 6937.16 11.1%
EUROPEAN UNION 1662.77 1996.62 20.08% 5101.4 5736.63 12.45%
WANA 1404.61 1481.7 5.49% 4177.66 4644.69 11.18%
ASEAN 931.29 1445.5 55.21% 3098.4 3816.96 23.19%
N E ASIA 731.77 1036.63 41.66% 2228.11 2970.95 33.34%
SSA( Sub Saharan Africa) 733.24 946.99 29.15% 2186.01 2827.38 29.34%
LATIN AMERICA 577.18 652.63 13.07% 1736.91 1977.78 13.87%
SOUTH ASIA 541.72 627.34 15.81% 1595.21 2218.85 39.09%
OTHER EUROPE 593.85 578.13 -2.65% 1771.17 2055.28 16.04%
CIS 96.44 143.65 48.95% 339.92 407.63 19.92%
OCEANIA 112.32 139.62 24.31% 400.99 489.71 22.13%
OTHERS 13.38 21.16 58.14% 33 60.97 84.77%

Note : *Figures have been rounded off.

Source : DGCI&S **Myanmar has been included in ASEAN and not in South Asia, since ASEAN is a formal economic grouping.

PRODUCT PANEL WISE ENGINEERING EXPORTS

Table 4a. Trend in exports of iron and steel and its products

(US$ million)

Product panels June-2025 June-2026 Growth April-June 2023-24 April-June 2024-25 Growth
IRON AND STEEL 770.62 1114.7 44.65% 2395.19 2942.99 22.87%
PRODUCTS OF IRON AND STEEL 840.48 854.53 1.67% 2488.34 2497.46 0.37%
Sub Total 1611.1 1969.23 22% 4883.53 5440.45 11%

Source : DGCI&S

Table 4b. Trend in exports of Non-Ferrous Metals and Products

US$ Million

Product panels June-2025 June-2026 Growth April-June 2023-24 April-June 2024-25 Growth
Aluminium and products made of Aluminium 450.53 823.46 82.77% 1484.37 2311.02 55.69%
Copper and products made of copper 186.53 357.82 91.83% 559.79 1056.32 88.7%
Lead and products made of Lead 94.23 68.47 -27.34% 251.88 219.18 -12.98%
Nickel and products made of Nickel 12.42 16.38 31.85% 38.93 51.79 33.05%
Other Non Ferrous Metals and their products 88.91 85.02 -4.38% 258.22 303.58 17.56%
Tin and products made of Tin 2.21 7.83 254.75% 6.19 20.02 223.38%
Zinc and products made of zinc 44.97 60.54 34.62% 152.35 236.22 55.05%
Sub Total 879.81 1419.52 61% 2751.73 4198.13 53%

Source : DGCI&S

Table 4c. Trend in exports of Industrial Machinery

US$ Million

Product panels June-2025 June-2026 Growth April-June 2023-24 April-June 2024-25 Growth
Air condition and Refrigeration Machinery and Parts, Industrial Furnaces, Water heaters and Centrifuges and Compressor 185.39 206.87 11.59% 562.17 594.3 5.72%
IC Engines and Parts 347.94 344.18 -1.08% 1037.72 1027.47 -0.99%
Industrial Machinery for dairy, agriculture, food processing, textiles, paper, chemicals, etc 692.98 730.49 5.41% 2151.68 2231.14 3.69%
Machine Tools 67.27 71.41 6.14% 196.24 213.84 8.97%
Machinery for ATMs, Injecting Moulding machinery, valves, etc 259.31 253.28 -2.33% 753.24 764.57 1.5%
Nuclear Reactors, Industrial Boilers and Parts 58.55 70.59 20.56% 237.57 261.49 10.07%
Pumps of all types 132.14 137.26 3.87% 380.11 407.34 7.16%
Sub Total 1743.59 1814.08 4.04% 5318.74 5500.15 3.41%

Source : DGCI&S

Table 4d. Trend in exports of Electrical Machinery and Equipment

US$ Million

Product panels June-2025 June-2026 Growth April-June 2023-24 April-June 2024-25 Growth
Electric Machinery and Equipment 1305.63 1719.33 31.69% 3799.36 4586.47 20.72%

Source : DGCI&S

Table 4e. Trend in exports of Auto and auto parts

US$ Million

Product panels June-2025 June-2026 Growth April-June 2023-24 April-June 2024-25 Growth
AUTO COMPONENTS/PARTS 705.347 753.142 6.78% 2089.278 2229.761 6.72%
AUTO TYRES AND TUBES 261.029 278.704 6.77% 801.123 841.956 5.1%
Motor Vehicle/cars 817.136 985.682 20.63% 2499.186 2876.85 15.11%
Two and Three Wheelers 306.513 380.944 24.28% 868.604 1126.57 29.7%
Sub Total 2090.025 2398.472 14.76% 6258.191 7075.138 13.05%

Source : DGCI&S

Table 4f. Trend in exports of aircraft, spacecraft and parts and ships, boats and floating structures

US$ Million

Product panels June-2025 June-2026 Growth April-June 2023-24 April-June 2024-25 Growth
Aircrafts, Spacecrafts and Parts 121.42 132.51 9.13% 386.51 479.83 295.17%
Ships, Boats and Floating Structures 398.61 532.54 33.6% 1299.17 2375.85 496.04%
Sub Total 520.03 665.06 27.89% 1685.68 2855.68 69.41%

Source : DGCI&S

Table 4g. Trend in exports of other engineering products

US$ Million

Product panels June-2025 June-2026 Growth April-June 2023-24 April-June 2024-25 Growth
BICYCLE AND PARTS 35.29 38.7 9.67% 111.96 122.42 9.35%
Cranes, Lifts and Winches 94.49 84.12 -10.97% 269.9 268 -0.7%
Hand Tools, Cutting Tools and Implements made of Metals 84.68 91.23 7.73% 262.36 269.34 2.66%
Medical and Scientific Instruments 228.58 236.72 3.56% 705.54 730.22 3.5%
OFFICE EQUIPMENTS 32.78 21.67 -33.9% 89.01 84.09 -5.53%
OTHER CONSTRUCTION MACHINERY 254.61 317.18 24.57% 834.33 931.36 11.63%
OTHER MISC. ITEMS 432.95 483.37 11.64% 1371.51 1394.75 1.69%
PRIME MICA AND MICA PRODUCTS 2.55 2.27 -11.03% 8.87 7.85 -11.47%
Railway Transport and Parts 38.57 46.87 21.52% 101.83 189.68 86.28%
PROJECT GOODS 0.1 0.16 58.67% 0.21 0.45 114.69%
OTHR RUBBER PRODCT EXCPT FOOTW 151.91 170.7 12.37% 460.17 489.8 6.44%

Source : DGCI&S

ENGINEERING PRODUCT PANELS – COUNTRY-WISE ANALYSIS

Table 5: Export of Different Panels

(US$ million)

Product panels Top 5 nations April-June 2023-24 April-June 2024-25 Growth (%)
Iron and Steel and Products made of Iron and Steel
U S A 1015.87 1237.08 22%
U ARAB EMTS 349.55 327.89 -6%
NEPAL 221.57 256.1 16%
U K 196.17 253.75 29%
ITALY 315.51 231.14 -27%
Non-Ferrous Metals and Products made of Non-Ferrous Metals
U S A 434.96 530.73 22%
SAUDI ARAB 227.93 351.84 54%
KOREA RP 272.93 330.11 21%
CHINA P RP 109.33 307.33 181%
VIETNAM SOC REP 111.35 174.62 57%
Industrial Machinery
U S A 1157.4 1180.43 2%
CHINA P RP 216.1 271.7 26%
GERMANY 241.24 248.12 3%
U ARAB EMTS 299.86 199.36 -34%
SAUDI ARAB 176.81 191.52 8%
Electrical Machinery
U S A 780.83 818.83 5%
SINGAPORE 405.93 484.75 19%
U K 429.24 371.27 -14%
GERMANY 248.15 336.67 36%
MALAYSIA 68.91 312.86 354%
Automobiles
U S A 609.3 650.83 7%
MEXICO 450.81 519.54 15%
SOUTH AFRICA 413.51 477.73 16%
JAPAN 256.24 275.55 8%
GERMANY 194.61 263.92 36%
Aircrafts and Spacecraft parts and products
U S A 112.13 147.78 32%
FRANCE 58.84 71.78 22%
MALDIVES 0.47 60.07 12702%
U K 45.41 41.99 -8%
MALAYSIA 14.97 21.76 45%
Ships Boats and Floating products and parts
U ARAB EMTS 426.78 961.05 125%
SINGAPORE 555.52 401.31 -28%
SRI LANKA DSR 64.19 383.27 497%
OMAN 54.31 171.49 216%
EGYPT A RP 0 158.12 N/A
Project Goods
SUDAN 0 0.1 N/A
FRANCE 0.02 0.06 200%
U S A 0.06 0.04 -31%
BELGIUM 0 0.04 N/A
ANGOLA 0 0.03 N/A
Other Rubber Product Except Footwear
U S A 108.35 97.8 -10%
GERMANY 30.46 32.64 7%
CHINA P RP 19.98 24.05 20%
THAILAND 11.71 18.5 58%
NETHERLAND 15.3 16.64 9%
Other engineering products
U S A 916.54 923.58 1%
U K 176.29 208.88 18%
GERMANY 188.09 191.57 2%
U ARAB EMTS 191.6 138.87 -28%
BRAZIL 99.5 112.95 14%

Source : DGCI&S

ENGINEERING EXPORTS – STATE-WISE ANALYSIS

State wise engineering export performance

The table below indicates the exports from top Indian states. It is evident from the table that almost 93 % of India’s exports is contributed by the listed 12 states. Within this almost 54.7 percent of exports is done by Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat together.

Table 6: Top state wise engineering export performance - April-January 2025-26

(US$ million)

Top States Cumulative Export April-January 2025-26 Share % Remark
Maharashtra 6524.311973 19.11% 91% share covered by top 12 states
Gujarat 5626.606081 16.48%
Tamil Nadu 5166.105267 15.13%
Karnataka 2769.413206 8.11%
Haryana 2370.44893 6.94%
Odisha 2288.584102 6.7%
Delhi 1394.027539 4.08%
Uttar Pradesh 1145.877684 3.36%
West Bengal 1133.837928 3.32%
Rajasthan 945.6756247 2.77%
Andhra Pradesh 888.5990952 2.6%
Punjab 740.7632028 2.17%
Telangana 652.1963902 1.91%
Madhya Pradesh 557.4668246 1.63%
DADRA,NH,DAMAN,DIU 515.0158295 1.51%
Uttarakhand 323.4599042 0.95%
Chhattisgarh 257.161232 0.75%
Kerala 247.2068967 0.72%
JHARKHAND 210.5132428 0.62%
Goa 194.9348358 0.57%
Bihar 65.78052402 0.19%
Puducherry 46.96387488 0.14%
Himachal Pradesh 45.85927123 0.13%
CHANDIGARH 16.89924042 0.05%
Assam 7.41979252 0.02%
MANIPUR 0.40222019 0%
SIKKIM 0.28147712 0%
Meghalaya 0.141775665 0%
TRIPURA 0.111067298 0%
ARUNACHAL PRADESH 0.077763319 0%
LADAKH 0.011522476 0%
LAKSHADWEEP 0.001873956 0%
NAGALAND 0 0%
MIZORAM 0 0%
ANDAMAN AND NICOBAR ISLANDS 0 0%
Jammu & Kashmir 0%
Others 0%

Source : DGCI&S

Region wise engineering exports

In terms of region, western region which includes industrial states like Maharashtra and Gujarat is the front runner in terms of exports with 37.7 percent share. Tamil Nadu from the Southern Region has improved its export performance and it ranked second after Maharashtra, while Gujarat and Karnataka ranked third and fourth during April-June 2024-25.

Note : DGCI&S state wise data available till Jul-2026

Table 7: Region wise exports from India till Jul-2026

Value in US$ million

Region Apr-Jul 2023-24($Mn) Apr-Jul 2024-25 ($Mn) Growth %
SOUTHERN REGION 8987.86 9770.49 8.71%
EASTERN REGION 2674.79 3964.31 48.21%
WESTERN REGION 11126.73 13418.34 20.6%
NORTHERN REGION 6114.94 6983.02 14.2%
Grand Total 28904.31 34136.16 18.1%

CORRELATION BETWEEN MANUFACTURING PRODUCTION AND ENGINEERING EXPORTS

Engineering sector is an important component of the broader manufacturing sector and the share of engineering production in overall manufacturing output is quite significant. As exports generally come from what is produced within a country, some correlation between manufacturing production growth and engineering export growth should exist. We briefly look at the trend in manufacturing growth as also engineering export growth to see if they move in tandem. It may be mentioned that manufacturing has 77.63% weightage in India’s industrial production.

Engineering export growth and manufacturing output growth moved in the same direction in as many as nine out of twelve months in each of the fiscal years 2019-20 and 2020-21. During fiscal 2021-22, engineering export growth and manufacturing growth moved in the same direction in seven out of twelve months while in each of fiscal 2022-23 and 2023-24, as many as 10 out of 12 months saw engineering exports and manufacturing output moved in the same direction.

The first two month of fiscal 2024-25 also saw manufacturing output growth and engineering exports growth moving in the same direction. April 2024 saw engineering exports declined from a growth in Mar 2024 and manufacturing output growth decelerated. The month of May 2024 witnessed just the opposite. Engineering exports bounced back to growth path and manufacturing output growth accelerated. June 2024 however saw both moved in the opposite direction with a higher growth in engineering exports and lower manufacturing growth.

The link between these two may not be established on a monthly basis, but a positive correlation may be seen if medium to long term trend is considered.

Table 8: Engineering exports growth vis-à-vis manufacturing growth from April 2020
Months/ Year Engg. Export Growth (%) Manufacturing Growth (%)
April 2020 -63.05 -66.6
May 2020 -22.17 -37.8
June 2020 -5.18 -17.0
July 2020 10.56 -11.4
August 2020 -7.01 -7.6
September 2020 4.09 0.4
October 2020 -5.01 4.5
November 2020 -8.37 -1.6
December 2020 -0.93 2.7
January 2021 16.66 -0.9
February 2021 -4.94 -3.4
March 2021 67.75 28.3
April 2021 236.85 196.0
May 2021 50.21 32.1
June 2021 51.00 13.2
July 2021 42.57 10.5
August 2021 58.63 11.1
September 2021 35.11 4.3
October 2021 51.76 3.3
November 2021 37.28 0.3
December 2021 47.42 0.6
January 2022 25.63 1.9
February 2022 35.49 0.2
March 2022 19.72 1.4
April 2022 18.30 5.6
May 2022 11.45 20.6
June 2022 3.01 13.0
July 2022 -0.03 3.2
August 2022 -12.64 -0.5
September 2022 -11.39 2.0
October 2022 -19.68 -5.8
November 2022 0.09 6.7
December 2022 -11.60 3.6
January 2023 -9.76 4.0
February 2023 -9.73 5.6
March 2023 -7.49 0.5
April 2023 -7.27 5.5
May 2023 -4.13 6.3
June 2023 -10.94 3.5
July 2023 -6.65 5.0
August 2023 7.83 9.3
September 2023 6.81 4.5
October 2023 7.20 N A
November 2023 -3.48 1.2
December 2023 9.82 4.5
January 2024 4.21 3.6
February 2024 15.9 5.0
March 2024 10.66 N A
April 2024 -4.49 3.9
May 2024 7.41 4.6
June 2024 10.27 N A
July 2024 3.66 4.6
August 2024 4.26 1.0
September 2024 9.44 3.9
October 2024 38.39 4.1
November 2024 13.72 5.5
December 2024 8.33 3.4
January 2025 7.46 5.5
February 2025 -8.64 2.9
April 2025 -3.92 3.0
May 2025 -0.80 2.6
June 2025 1.28 2.9
July 2025 13.86 5.4
August 2025 4.90 3.8
September 2025 2.93 4.8
October 2025 -16.72 1.8
November 2025 23.79 8.0
December 2026 1.29 8.4
January 2026 10.35 5.3
February 2026 12.91 6.0
March 2026 1.13 4.3
April 2026 8.78 6.2
May 2026 24.48 5.5

Source :Department of Commerce and CSO

IMPACT OF EXCHANGE RATE ON INDIA’S EXPORTS

How did the exchange rate fare during July 2024 and what was the recent trend in Re-Dollar movement? In order to get a clearer picture of the recent Re-Dollar trend, not only we took the exchange rate of July 2024, but also considered monthly average exchange rate of Rupee vis-à-vis the US Dollar for each month of fiscal 2023-24 and 2024-25 till July 2024 as per the latest data published, as mere one-month figure does not reflect any trend. The following two tables clearly depicts the short-term trend:

Fig 3: Trend of Rupee vis-a-vis US dollar from April 2020

(Monthly Average Rate of FBIL has been considered)

Source : FBIL

Table 9: USD-INR monthly average exchange rate in 2025-26 vis-à-vis 2024-25

(As per latest data released by FBIL)

Monthly Average Exchange Rate (1 USD to INR) Year-on-Year Change (%) Direction Month-on-Month Change (%) Direction
Month 2025-26 2026-27
April 85.56 93.55 9.34 Depreciation 0.85 Depreciation
May 85.19 95.60 12.22 Depreciation 2.19 Depreciation
June 85.90 94.97 10.56 Depreciation -0.66 Appreciation

Rupee depreciation vis-à-vis the US Dollar continued in the new fiscal 2024-25 both on a year-on-year basis and on a month-on-month basis. Rupee hit record low of 83.74 during July 2024 on a daily closing basis. Outflow of funds from Indian capital market due to dollar demand by corporates amid global economic and geo political uncertainty, and strengthening of dollar at the same time in the international market due to tightening of US fed policy continued to weigh on several other major currencies including Rupee.

Table 10: USD-INR monthly average exchange rate in 2024-25 vis-à-vis 2023-24

(As per latest data released by FBIL)

Monthly Average Exchange Rate (1 USD to INR) Year-on-Year Change (%) Direction Month-on-Month Change (%) Direction
Month 2024-25 2025-26
April 83.41 85.56 2.58 Depreciation -1.25 Appreciation
May 83.39 85.19 2.16 Depreciation -0.43 Appreciation
June 83.47 85.90 2.91 Depreciation 0.83 Depreciation
July 83.59 86.11 3.01 Depreciation 0.24 Depreciation
August 83.90 87.52 4.31 Depreciation 1.64 Depreciation
September 83.81 88.32 5.38 Depreciation 0.91 Depreciation
October 84.03 88.42 5.22 Depreciation 0.11 Depreciation
November 84.36 88.83 5.30 Depreciation 0.46 Depreciation
December 84.99 90.09 6.00 Depreciation 1.42 Depreciation
January 86.26 90.80 5.25 Depreciation 0.79 Depreciation
February 87.05 90.77 4.27 Depreciation -0.03 Appreciation
March 86.64 92.76 7.06 Depreciation 2.19 Depreciation

Source : FBIL, EEPC Research

TREND IN ENGINEERING TRADE BALANCE

We now present the trend in two-way yearly trade for the engineering sector for the 2024-25 depicted in the table below:

Table 11: Monthly Trend in Engineering Trade Balance for the current FY

(US$ million)

Trade Flow April May June
Engineering Export 10.4 12.31 11.48
Engineering Import 14.4 14.36 14.19
Trade Balance -4.0 -2.05 -2.71

Source : DGCI&S

TO CONCLUDE...

India’s engineering exports continued its winning streak in the month of July by reaching USD 9.03 billion and recording a growth of 3.7%. In cumulative terms too, engineering exports grew by 4.2%. This result has been in contrast to the trend in overall merchandise exports which in July decline by more than 1% in the y-o-y terms. The performance was made possible by the exporting community despite facing a number of global challenges. It is also noted that the decline in iron and steel exports have been majorly responsible for muted performance of engineering exports from India. In July 2024, exports of iron and steel declined by around 27% and in cumulative terms around 32%. It is also noted that without the iron and steel sector, the growth in engineering exports would come to more than 7% in monthly terms and more than 9% in cumulative terms. The decline in iron and steel was majorly due to stiff competitive pricing from China, geopolitical conflicts in Europe and West Asia and protectionist policies in USA and EU. The situation in overall engineering exports is expected to improve in the future as Global forecasts for GDP growth remain at around 3% for 2024, with the short-term trade outlook being cautiously optimistic. If positive trends persist, global trade in 2024 could reach almost $32 trillion as per the recent UNCTAD update.

The recently announced Union Budget 2024-25 is expected to facilitate MSMEs and export finance significantly. The Budget has also promised rationalized BCDs for key inputs which would give further boost to engineering exports. The major issue that is affecting the exporting community is the rising protectionism across the globe. To maintain the rising trend in engineering exports, the exporting community urges the government to provide support in this matter.