New Delhi, Feb. 18 -- India's combined merchandise and services exports demonstrated robust growth in January 2025, reaching USD 74.97 billion compared to USD 68.33 billion in the previous year, according to recent data from the Commerce Ministry.

However, this growth was accompanied by a significant widening of the trade deficit to USD 2.67 billion from USD 0.39 billion, as imports rose to USD 77.64 billion.

Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal emphasised the country's strong export performance during the April 2024 to January 2025 period, noting a 7.21 percent growth with a USD 46 billion increase compared to the previous year.

The merchandise export sector contributed USD 5 billion during this period, with non-petroleum exports in Janu...