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Tuesday, September 10, 2013

August trade deficit shrinks as exports rise

August trade deficit shrinks as exports rise

 


Mobile cranes prepare to stack containers at Thar Dry Port in Sanand in Gujarat May 2, 2011. REUTERS/Amit Dave/Files

 


NEW DELHI | Tue Sep 10, 2013 3:17pm IST
(Reuters) - India's trade deficit narrowed to $10.9 billion in August, helped by a double digit rise in merchandise exports, provisional government data showed on Tuesday, offering some respite for the troubled rupee currency.

Merchandise exports rose 12.97 percent in August to $26.14 billion from a year earlier. Imports fell 0.68 percent year-on-year to $37.05 billion.

"We are closing the trade gap," Trade Minister Anand Sharma told reporters at a press conference.

The rupee has been hammered down in a sell-off in emerging currencies as foreign investors readjust their exposure to markets like India, anticipating higher interest rates in the United States.

The rupee hit an all-time low of 68.85 against the dollar last month on concerns over New Delhi's ability to fund its bloated trade deficit.

(Reporting by Rajesh Kumar Singh and Manoj Kumar; editing by Matthias Williams)

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