India’s exports plunge 34.57% in March; trade deficit narrows to $9.76 billion

16 Apr 2020 Evaluate

India’s merchandise exports plunged by 34.57% in March 2020 as compared to same period of last year, due to a steep decline in shipments of leather, gems and jewellery and petroleum products. This is expected to be the steepest fall in monthly exports since 2008-09, when shipments dipped by 33.3% in March 2009. However, trade deficit, gap between imports and exports, narrowed to $9.76 billion in March 2020 from $11.00 billion a year ago.

As per the data released by the Commerce Ministry, merchandise exports fell by 34.57% to $ 21.41 billion in March 2020, as compared to $32.72 billion in the same month a year ago. In Rupee terms, it was down by 29.98% to Rs 1,59,157.98 crore in March 2020, as compared to Rs 2,27,318.25 crore in March 2019. Cumulative value of exports for the period April- March 2019-20 was $314.31 billion as against $330.08 billion during the period April- March 2018-19, registering a negative growth of 4.78%. In Rupee terms, it was down by 3.52% to Rs 22,26,566.71 crore from Rs .23,07,726.19 crore.

Non-petroleum and Non Gems and Jewellery exports in March 2020 were $16.90 billion, as compared to $25.68 billion in March 2019, exhibiting a negative growth of 34.19%. Non-petroleum and Non Gems and Jewellery exports in April- March 2019-20 were $235.73 billion, as compared to $ 243.27 billion for the corresponding period in 2018-19.

On the other hand, imports during March 2020 too decreased by 28.72% to $31.16 billion as compared to $43.72 billion in March 2019, while in rupee terms it was down by 23.72% to Rs 2,31,710.92 crore from Rs 3,03,753.76 crore in March 2019. Cumulative value of imports for the period April- March 2019-20 was $467.19 billion, as against $514.08 billion during the period April- March 2018-19, registering a negative growth of 9.12%. In rupee terms, it was Rs 33,07,977.05 crore, down by 7.98% from Rs .35,94,674.61 crore in the same period last year.

Oil imports in March 2020 were $10.01 billion, which were 15% lower, compared to $11.78 billion in March 2019. Oil imports in April- March 2019-20 were $129.43 billion which were 8.15% lower compared to $140.92 billion, over the same period last year. Non-oil imports during March 2020 were estimated at $21.15 billion which was 33.78% lower than non-oil imports of $31.94 billion in March 2019. Non-Oil and Non-Gold imports were $19.92 billion in March 2020, down 30.47% over the same period of last year. Non-Oil and Non-Gold imports were $309.53 billion in April- March 2019-20, down 9.03 %, over the same period of last year.

About MoneyWorks4Me

MoneyWorks4Me is a SEBI-registered Investment Adviser (IA) dedicated to helping investors build long-term wealth through transparent, research-driven, conflict-free guidance. Founded in 2008, we started our journey as a Research Analyst (RA), providing deep fundamental analysis, intrinsic value insights, and long-term investing frameworks for Indian equities. In 2017, we transitioned to a full-fledged SEBI-registered Investment Adviser, strengthening our commitment to acting as a fiduciary—always putting the investor’s interest first.

Our Vision

To become India’s most trusted, research-powered fiduciary advisory platform—where every investor, regardless of experience, can make calm, confident, and well-reasoned investment decisions.

What Makes MoneyWorks4Me Different

Fiduciary-first advisory model.
As SEBI-registered IAs, we are legally and ethically bound to act in the best interests of our clients. We do not sell or distribute any financial products. This ensures our guidance is 100% unbiased and conflict-free.
Deep fundamental research + robust valuation discipline.
Built on more than 15 years of equity research, our framework combines quality assessment, intrinsic value estimation, and a sensible margin-of-safety approach.
Process—not predictions.
We don’t rely on guesswork or market timing. Instead, we focus on asset allocation, risk management, and long-term compounding.
Technology + Human Intelligence.
We believe a combination of both is essential for investing success. We constantly innovate and upgrade in-house tools, financial X-rays, and portfolio analytics so that our team of analysts and advisors are equipped with the best.
Partner with Clients.
We follow a DIWM (Do-It-With-Me) approach where we partner clients in setting goals, financial planning, educating on our investing process and share decision-enabling resources transparently with our clients who retain control on execution.

Our Approach: Ensuring compounding work its magic on client portfolio.

MoneyWorks4Me ensures this through:

Investing in stocks, mutual funds, debt, and gold
Quality-at-Reasonable-Price way of investing in stocks
Constructing Direct Stock Portfolios with Core, Booster, and Amplifier stocks
A Mutual Fund Portfolio that delivers consistent out-performance and meaningful diversification (low overlap)
Periodic review and rebalancing
Clear Buy-Sell-Hold, and Position-sizing frameworks

Name of the IA registered with SEBI:	The Alchemists Ark Pvt. Ltd.
Logo:
Trade/Brand Name of IA:	MoneyWorks4Me Investment Advisers
Brand Logo:
SEBI Registration Number:	INA000013323 Validity – May 16, 2019 – Perpetual
Registration:	Non-Individual
BSE Enlistment No:	1187
Address:	B-101, Signet Corner Building, Balewadi Phata, Baner, Pune, Maharashtra 411045
Compliance officer Details:	Name: Shrikant Jagtap Email: shrikant.jagtap@moneyworks4me.com Telephone: +919860359463 Address: Same as IA
Grievance Officer Details:	Name: Mukta Vaze Email: mukta.vaze@moneyworks4me.com Telephone: +91 98609 19463 Address: Same as IA
Principal Officer Details:	Name: Atharva Bhide Email: atharva.bhide@moneyworks4me.com Telephone: +91 91758 99463 Address: Same as IA
Standard Warning:	Investment in securities market are subject to market risks. Read all the related documents carefully before investing.
Disclaimer:	Registration granted by SEBI, enlistment with exchange and certification from NISM in no way guarantee performance of the intermediary or provide any assurance of returns to investors.