India's exports of agricultural and allied products rose 17.2% year on year to $4.47 billion in October 2026, according to the latest government estimates. Imports of the five major farm categories in the same estimates grew faster, by 21.3%, to $6.25 billion. Overall exports of goods and services rose 29.9% to an estimated $89.99 billion, against imports of $110.07 billion.
Rice led the month's farm shipments, up 18.39% to $1.04 billion from $876.02 million. Marine products rose 13.76% to $1.02 billion and meat, dairy and poultry 34.87% to $788.26 million. Other cereals grew fastest, by 87.47% to $44.14 million, and cereal preparations rose 37.40% to $342.79 million. Spices were up 9.11% to $345.62 million, coffee 8.51% to $138.42 million, tea 23.04% to $96.57 million, and fruit and vegetables 1.84% to $295.72 million.
Some older export lines fell. Tobacco dropped 18.01% to $133.86 million, cashew 53.33% to $28.35 million and oilseeds 3.14% to $77.19 million, while oil meals jumped 85.55% to $118.40 million.
On the import side, vegetable oil remained the largest item, up 56.53% to $2.49 billion. Raw cotton and cotton waste rose 93.59% to $453.04 million and fruit and vegetables 34.08% to $487.09 million. Pulses imports fell 22.64% to $387.35 million and fertiliser imports 1.24% to $2.44 billion.
Over April to October, the 13 farm export categories grew 7.67% to $27.88 billion, far slower than the 21.96% rise in all merchandise exports to $309.06 billion. Farm imports of the five categories rose 22.42% to $32.14 billion. Rice remained the top farm export at $6.81 billion, up 4.63%; marine products reached $5.52 billion and meat, dairy and poultry $4.69 billion, up 40.81%.
The seven-month bill was again driven by vegetable oil, up 17.74% to $13.64 billion, and fertiliser, up 22.55% to $12.48 billion. Cotton imports rose 70.87% to $1.56 billion, fruit and vegetables 30.52% to $2.67 billion and pulses 17.35% to $1.80 billion. The figures show India still leaning on foreign edible oil, fertiliser and pulses even as its rice and meat sales abroad grow.
The report was written by Rajasree Singh.
Photo: McKay Savage / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
Source: Rural Voice
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