Export up 4.39% in June; trade deficit widens to $12.96 billion

New Delhi: India’s export grew by 4.39 percent to US $23.56 billion in June as shipments of chemicals, engineering and marine products improved, according to the official data released today. Import too rose by 19 percent to US $36.52 billion in June from US $30.68 billion in the year-ago month due to rise in inward shipments of oil and gold. [caption id=“attachment_3814013” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. Reuters[/caption] A rise in import shot up the country’s trade deficit to US $12.96 billion in the month under review from US $8.11 billion in June 2016, the data released by the Commerce Ministry showed. Gold import rose to US $2.45 billion in June against US $1.20 billion in the same month last year. Oil import was valued at US $8.12 billion in the month, an increase of 12.04 percent over the same in June 2016. Export in the first quarter of 2017-18 rose by 10.57 percent to US $72.21 billion while import surged 32.78 percent to US $112.2 billion, leaving a trade deficit of US $40 billion.