India exports up 44.2 pc, imports grow by 41.8 pc

Imports, too, grew by 41.8 per cent to USD 38.4 billion in August, translating into a trade deficit of USD 14 billion during the month, as per the data.

However, Commerce Secretary Rahul Khullar has said that growth in coming months will be difficult on account of uncertainty in Western markets.

During the April-August period, India`s exports grew by 54.2 per cent to USD 134.5 billion, the data shows.

In the April-August period, imports expanded by 40.4 per cent to USD 189.4 billion. The trade gap during the period amounted stood at USD 54.9 billion, the Commerce Ministry data shows.

Oil imports during August, 2011, were valued at USD 10.3 billion, translating into a growth of 48.7 per cent compared to the corresponding period last fiscal, while non-oil imports rose to USD 28 billion, an expansion of 39.4 per cent vis-a-vis the same month of 2010-11.

The data also shows that oil imports during the April-August, 2011, period stood at USD 52.3 billion and non-oil imports during the five-month period amounted to USD 137 billion.