“The Making of a Trusted Global Trade Partner”, India Narrative, January 06, 2026
“India’s recent export performance tells a compelling story of resilience in an increasingly fragmented global economy. Between November 2024 and November 2025, exports rose sharply by over 15%, while the trade deficit narrowed dramatically. These headline figures, impressive by any standard, reflect more than cyclical recovery—they signal a strategic recalibration of India’s trade model toward diversification, value addition, and deeper global integration. Yet, the sustainability of this success will depend less on growth rates and more on how effectively India manages the structural trade-offs embedded in its strategy.
At the heart of India’s export momentum lies balance. Unlike earlier phases of export growth that leaned disproportionately on either commodities or services, today’s expansion is evenly split between merchandise and services exports. Manufacturing sectors such as garments, engineering goods, chemicals, electronics, petroleum products, and gems and jewellery are growing in parallel with services ranging from IT to professional mobility. This balance matters. In a world where demand shocks, geopolitical disruptions, and protectionist impulses are becoming the norm, diversified export baskets act as shock absorbers rather than amplifiers.
India’s policy emphasis on export diversification is therefore not accidental—it is defensive as much as it is aspirational. Overdependence on a narrow set of products or markets has historically left emerging economies exposed to volatile capital flows and sudden demand collapses. The document rightly frames diversification as a tool for macroeconomic stability, knowledge spillovers, and productivity growth. What is notable, however, is that India is pursuing diversification not just across products, but across geographies and regulatory regimes, signaling a more mature understanding of global risk……”
Read full article at indianarrative.com
