India Achieves Record Exports and Launches Major ₹25,060 Crore Export Promotion Mission
SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth | SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
Ministry of Commerce & Industry | Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT)
The Department of Commerce’s 2025 Year-End Review highlights India’s record-breaking external trade performance and the launch of a significant, future-oriented policy framework. Total exports (merchandise and services) for the first half (April–September) of FY 2025–26 reached an all-time high of US$ 418.91 billion, a robust 5.86% increase over the previous year. Services exports continued to be a key growth driver, while non-petroleum merchandise exports also showed a strong upward trend.
Key drivers and policy announcements included:
Export Performance: Total exports in FY 2024–25 touched US$ 825.25 billion. During the first half of FY 2025–26, major growth was seen in sectors such as:
Electronic Goods (41.94% growth)
Drugs and Pharmaceuticals (6.46% growth)
Marine products (17.40% growth)
Export Promotion Mission (EPM): A ₹25,060-Crore EPM was unveiled for FY 2025–26 to FY 2030–31, representing a strategic shift towards a single, outcome-based framework. It operates via two sub-schemes: NIRYAT PROTSAHAN (focusing on affordable trade finance for MSMEs) and NIRYAT DISHA (focusing on non-financial enablers like compliance and trade intelligence).
Digital Procurement Success: The Government e Marketplace (GeM) emerged as India’s biggest public procurement platform. As of November 2025, GeM’s cumulative GMV (Gross Merchandise Value) surpassed ₹16.41 lakh crore, showcasing the success of digital transformation in government procurement.
What does the term ‘GMV’ mean in the context of the Government e Marketplace? GMV, or Gross Merchandise Value, represents the total monetary value of goods and services sold through the Government e Marketplace (GeM) since its inception. This metric reflects the overall scale and volume of transactions facilitated by the platform for public procurement. As of November 2025, GeM’s cumulative GMV surpassed ₹16.41 lakh crore, establishing it as India’s biggest public procurement platform.
The Department also pushed significant regulatory and digital reforms under the Ease of Doing Business mandate:
Digital Transformation: The DGFT launched the Bharat Aayat Niryat Lab Setu, a unified digital platform for paperless testing and inspection certifications, and the Trade Intelligence & Analytics (TIA) portal for real-time market insights.
SEZ Reforms: Rules for Special Economic Zones (SEZs) were amended, reducing the minimum contiguous land area requirement to 10 Hectares for setting up semiconductor and electronic component manufacturing SEZs, and three new such zones were notified.
FTAs and Partnerships: The India–UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) was signed, granting duty-free access for 99% of Indian exports. The India-EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) entered into force, aiming to mobilise USD 100 billion in investments over 15 years. India and the USA also announced ‘Mission 500’ to nearly triple bilateral trade to US$ 500 Billion by 2030.
Policy Relevance: The review highlights a strategic policy shift towards structural export promotion (EPM), digital governance through DGFT’s paperless reforms, and deep international market integration via landmark trade agreements like CETA and the EFTA TEPA, collectively enhancing India’s trade competitiveness and supply chain security.
Follow the full news here: 2025 Year End Review for Department of Commerce