India’s imports from China rose 618.73% in FY05-14 whereas during the period FY15 to FY25, these increased 87.81%. In the current financial year, India’s exports to China have grown 38.31% year-on-year in April-January while imports from China are up 13.82%.
“India’s imports from China have risen largely due to India’s growing demand for capital goods, intermediate goods and raw materials like Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients, auto components, electronic parts and assemblies, mobile phone parts, etc which are used for making finished products which are also exported out of India. These goods are imported for meeting the demand of fast expanding sectors like electronics, pharma, telecom and power in India,” said Jitin Prasada, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry in a written reply in Rajya Sabha.
Explaining that the initiatives taken by the government have led to decline in dependency on imports in several sectors, he said the import of mobile phones has decreased to Rs 3,710 crore in 2024-25 from Rs 48,609 crore in 2014-15. On the other hand, the export of mobile phones has increased to more than Rs. 2.05 lakh crore in 2024-25 from Rs 1,566 crore in 2014-15
“In 2024-25, a decline in imports from China was observed across several sectors compared to the previous year,” Prasada said, citing the example of fertilizers where imports fell 61.4%, residual chemicals and allied products (19.7%), iron and steel (10.3%), and man-made yarn (9.5%).
EU trade
The key non-tariff measures faced by lndian exporters relate to the EU’s REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals) requirements applicable to all commodities containing chemical substances; the CE Marking requirement (stands for European Conformity) and the Directive on Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) in electrical and electronic equipments; and the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPB) for physical products, commerce and industry ministry told Parliament.
In a written reply, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Jitin Prasada said the non-tariff barriers faced by Indian exporters include delay in listing new Indian establishment: in the EU’s Trade Control and Expert System New Technology system in Fish and Fishery products; pending approval of Residue Monitoring Plan for Milk and Milk products. Higher sampling checks for Indian aquaculture shrimp consignments and stringent Maximum Residue Limits for tea products, Spices & Spice products are the other barriers.
Export scheme
Rs 15,756.96 crore was the remission disbursed in FY26 till December 25, under the Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products (RoDTEP) scheme, benefiting more than 1.1 lakh exporters, Parliament was told. The scheme was implemented from January 1, 2021. In FY22, the remission disbursed was Rs 14,798.42 crore and in FY25, it rose to Rs 18,734.56 crore.
Labour-intensive sectors
such as textiles and apparel, marine products, agricultural products, chemicals, and engineering goods are among the key beneficiaries, and account for a substantial share of RoDTEP support and contribute significantly to employment generation and export growth.
Startup growth
As on January 31, 2026, more than 2.12 lakh entities have been recognised as startups. Alternative Investment Funds under the Startup India Seed Fund Scheme (SISFS) have invested Rs 25,859.38 crore in 1,382 selected startups. SISES is implemented from April 1, 2021. As on January 31, 2026, selected incubators under the Scheme have approved funding of Rs 592.12 crore to 3,311 startups and 348 loans amounting to around Rs 925.9 crore have been guaranteed to startup borrowers.