Exports of goods are down for the eleventh consecutive month falling 17.53 per cent to $ 21.35 billion in October 2015 compared to the same month last year.
Trade deficit, however, narrowed to $ 9.7 billion during the month compared to $13.57 billion in the same month last year. This was because the fall in imports in October at 21.15 per cent to $ 31.12 billion was sharper than the fall in exports.
Exports declined across sectors including engineering, gems & jewellery, leather, chemicals, rice & cereals and iron ore. However, there were some such as pharmaceuticals, ready-made garments, carpets and ceramics that posted a growth.
Exports for the period April-October 2015-16 were $ 154.29 billion, registering a drop of 17.62 per cent.
In the seven-month period, imports posted a fall of 15.17 per cent to $ 232.05 billion compared to the comparable period last year.