India’s imports witnessed a surge in the second quarter, April-September, of the financial year 2025-26. Compared to last year, India imported goods worth $16.26 billion in this quarter. The country’s import during the same period last year was $358.85 billion, which will increase to $375.11 billion in 2025. The pace of manufacturing in the country and domestic demand have contributed to this growth. Additionally, imports of electronics and machinery have also increased. This import has increased India’s trade deficit with China. On the one hand, India is making new efforts to become self-reliant. On the other hand, the increase in imports from China is not a good sign for the country. Although China is one of the largest importers in the world, it still opposes India on various platforms.
What are the major imports?
India’s largest imports in the quarter were electronics, machinery and silver products. Electronics imports witnessed a growth of 16.78 per cent, while machinery imports witnessed a massive growth of 13.7 per cent. The demand for silver is increasing rapidly around the world. Due to its unique properties, its demand is increasing in the industry. Silver is used in making electronics, solar panels and batteries. As a result, demand for silver is high in India also. Imports have increased by 56 percent. India imported silver worth $3.2 billion.
China becomes the largest exporter
India’s largest import in the first half of the financial year 2025-26 came from China. India imported goods worth about $62.89 billion from China. This represents an increase of 11.2 percent compared to the previous year. India stood second with imports from the United Arab Emirates, which imported goods worth $33.03 billion. Russia remains the country’s third largest import source. However, imports from Russia declined by 7.4 percent. India imported goods worth $31.12 billion from Russia.
wide trade deficit
The trade deficit between India and China has increased to $54.4 billion with China emerging as the largest importer. In the same period last year, this figure was 49.6 billion dollars. This means that there is a huge difference between exported and imported goods and services. When a country’s exports are less than its imports, it is called trade deficit.