“A large share of India’s imports is productive in nature, directly contributing to domestic manufacturing capabilities, infrastructure creation, and export competitiveness,” said Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Jitin Prasada.
Key imports include crude oil, capital goods, electronic goods, machinery, fertilizers, and other intermediate inputs-all essential for manufacturing, industrial expansion, infrastructure development, and energy security.
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“These imports enhance India’s productive capacity and long-term growth potential, rather than being consumption-driven liabilities. Thus, the merchandise trade deficit is best seen as a by-product of India’s development stage, investment needs, and energy dependence,” he said.
Shrimp export rejection
India’s 17 shrimp consignments worth Rs 14 crore have been rejected by the US, EU and Japan this year till July 15. Nine of these were antibiotic rejections and the estimated financial loss is Rs 7.45 crore, commerce and industry ministry informed Lok Sabha.
Overall, there were 447 rejections of India’s shrimp export consignments between 2018 and July 2026 from these markets with antibiotic residues being a key concern for exporters. The value of the rejected consignments during the period is estimated at around Rs 423 crore.Also read | Indian agriculture’s normal patterns get upended as erratic rains reshape kharif sowing
While the overall rejection rate remained low at 0.13% of India’s total shrimp export consignments, antibiotic residue-related failures accounted for an estimated Rs 176.8 crore in financial losses.
Antibiotic residues, bacteriological contamination, poor hygienic handling and inadequate time-temperature control were the other reasons for the rejections.
The US accounted for the largest share of rejections, with 313 consignments rejected between 2018 and July 15, 2026, followed by the EU at 86 and Japan with 48. The US alone accounted for around d 70% of all rejections across the three markets.
FDI inflows
Total foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows into India over the last eleven years (2014-25) rose 143% at
$748.78 billion from $308.38 billion received during 2003-14. Manufacturing FDI accelerated 18% to $19.04 billion in FY25 from $16.12 billion in FY24). India’s electronics manufacturing sector saw a sixfold rise in production and an eightfold surge in exports over the past 11 years.
Manufacturing push
As of March 31, 2026, 892 applications under the Production Linked Incentive Schemes have been approved, attracted over 22.4 lakh crore in investments, generated production worth Rs 22.66 lakh crore, exports of Rs 15.2 lakh crore, and over 14.15 lakh jobs.
As of June 30, 2026, under National Industrial Corridor Development Programme NICDP, a total of 469 plots, measuring 5,347 acres have been allotted. Of these, 376 plots (5,047 acres) are industrial plots, with a committed investment potential of approximately Rs 2.20 lakh crore and an estimated employment potential of 1.29 lakh persons, as declared by investors at the time of allotment.
Startup funding
As on June 30, 2026, approved incubators have selected a total of 4,245 startups for support under the Startup India Seed Fund Scheme with a total approved funding of Rs 706.33 crore.