US share in Indian exports reached the highest level in a decade in March, as exporters rushed to American shores to avoid tariffs imposed by US president Donald Trump, according to a Moneycontrol analysis.
Data released by the ministry of commerce on April 15 showed that the threat of tariffs pushed Washington’s share in India’s exports to 24.3 percent compared with 21.4 percent a month ago and 18 percent from the year-ago period.
Of the $41.97 billion of goods exported from India in March, $10.2 billion worth were headed to Washington in March.
The share of US in India’s merchandise exports had stagnated during the pandemic period between 17 and 18 percent.
It had risen to 17.5 percent in March 2020 as compared with 15.2 percent a year ago.
US share in India’s goods exports had crossed 20 percent in January after a gap of nearly four years. Over a fifth of India’s merchandise exports were headed to American shores in October 2021, at the height of the third Covid wave.
The gold rush
In January 2025, the period for which latest sector wise data is available, smartphones continued to dominate as the largest category of exports from India to the US, but the US share in India’s smartphone exports increased to 55 percent from 40 percent a year ago.
US President Donald Trump last week exempted smartphones from tariff list.
But it was not just smartphones which witnessed a phenomenal rise. Unwrought gold had a 7 percent share in India’s exports to the US.
Transmission gear exports to the US were up 92 percent compared with the previous year. The US president last month had imposed duties on auto components and autos entering its shores.
Meanwhile, shrimp and prawn, another important category of exports, was up 50 percent in January.
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