April exports show robust 34% growth: Govt

India's exports in April rose an annual 34% to USD 23.8 billion, while imports for the month rose 14% on the year to USD 32.8 billion, government data released on Wednesday showed.

India's trade deficit in April was at USD 9 billion, while its oil imports rose 7.7% to USD 10.2 billion.

India's exports grew a record 37.6% in the 2010/11 fiscal year that ended in March, as demand soared for engineering goods, oil products and gems manufactured in Asia's third-largest economy.

CRISIL Chief Economist D K Joshi said the exports growth momentum of 30-35% cannot be sustained and there would be moderation in the months to come.

Though the April growth is lower than 44% growth in March, it was because the consignments generally peak in the last quarter of the financial year.

"Exports in the next few months will grow in a decent number, though they may not be as high as (seen in the past few months)," Standard Chartered Research Head Samiran Chakraborty said.

(Inputs from Reuters and PTI)