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February 2023 trade deficit edges lower to $17.43 billion

  • 16 Mar , 2023
  • 9:20 AM
  • Merchandise trade deficit for February 2023 touched the lowest level in 12 months at $17.43 billion.

It is marginally lower compared to the January 2023 merchandise trade deficit but sharply lower than the peak merchandise trade deficit of $30 billion recorded in July 2022. The total merchandise trade deficit in the first two months of 2023 has been just $35 billion. Clearly, we are seeing the reversal of the commodity boom that we saw last year. An amalgam of lower commodity prices and weak demand has pushed total trade volumes lower. There are two important observations here.

Firstly, we look at gross trade (exports + imports) of merchandise goods. Gross trade was above $100 billion for 4 months between March and July 2022, but has tapered since. For January 2023, gross trade was just $83.57 billion and in February 2023, gross trade was subdued at $85.19 billion. This is driven by tepid global demand, enhanced dependence on Russian oil and weak commodity prices. The second observation pertains to the total exports i.e., the exports of merchandise and services. The total services exports for February 2023 at $29.15 billion is inching close to the merchandise exports of $33.88 billion. Also, in January 2023 and February 2023, the overall deficit when  you combine the merchandise trade deficit and the services trade surplus, is almost neutral.

Month

Exports ($ billion)

Imports ($ billion)

Trade Surplus / Deficit

Feb-22

34.57

55.45

-20.88

Mar-22

42.22

60.74

-18.52

Apr-22

40.19

60.30

-20.11

May-22

38.94

63.23

-24.29

Jun-22

40.13

66.31

-26.18

Jul-22

36.27

66.27

-30.00

Aug-22

33.92

61.90

-27.98

Sep-22

35.45

61.16

-25.71

Oct-22

29.78

56.69

-26.91

Nov-22

31.99

55.88

-23.89

Dec-22

34.48

58.24

-23.76

Jan-23

32.91

50.66

-17.75

Feb-23

33.88

51.31

-17.43

Data Source: DGFT

Several factors triggered lower trade deficit, apart from lower commodity prices and weak demand. One factor is the big shift to Russian oil. Despite higher Russian oil prices, it accounts for 30% of India’s oil import basket, compared to less than 1% a year back. This helped to reduce the impact of imported inflation to a large extent, even as weak demand made overall trade tepid. 

With 11 months gone, how does FY23 trade picture look?

For the first 11 months of FY23, the total merchandise exports are higher by 7.6% yoy at $405.94 billion while the total merchandise imports are higher by 18.8% at $653.47 billion. Cumulative gross merchandise trade (imports + exports) for FY23 is up 14.2% at $1,059.41 billion while the total trade deficit for the year is higher by 43.5% at $247.53 billion. While the merchandise trade deficit was expected to be $300 billion for FY23 fiscal, the estimates have now been toned down closer to $260 billion. Let us look at the top-10 contributors to exports and imports for first 11 months of FY23.

Export ProductsAmount ($ billion)Import ProductsAmount ($ billion)
Engineering Goods

96.86

Crude Petroleum

193.47

Petroleum

86.21  

Electronic Goods

70.08  

Gems & Jewellery

35.21  

Coke / Coal

46.28

Chemicals

27.54  

Machinery

41.32  

Drugs & Pharma

22.90  

Gold

31.72  

Electronic Goods

20.70  

Chemicals

30.81  

Readymade Garments

14.74  

Pearls & Stones

27.68  

Rice

10.02  

Transport Equipment

24.56  

Cotton Yarn 

9.92 

Resins / Plastics

21.32  

Plastic / Linoleum

7.65 

Iron & Steel

20.68

Marine Products

7.40 

Vegetable Oil

19.43

Data Source: Ministry of Commerce

On the exports side, the top 11 products account for 83.6% of the overall export basket for FY23. On the imports side, the top 11 products account for 80.7% of the import basket. Among the top exported products, the yoy growth in electronic goods, petroleum products and rice were extremely strong. The export growth was negative in several items with a sharp fall in the exports of iron ore, cotton yarn, carpets, and cashew.

Let us now turn to the import story for FY23. There was a big surge in the import of coal, coke, and briquettes, due to domestic shortages. Imports of fertilizers, transport equipment and petroleum also surged in FY23. Iron & Steel was another commodity where imports edged higher. Among the commodities that saw lower imports; there was a sharp fall in gold imports and in the import of sulphur, iron pyrites and pulses.

Agricultural exports push was the story of February 2023

Merchandise exports at $33.88 billion in February 2023 were lower -2.0% yoy. Sequentially, the exports were up by 2.95% compared to January 2023. While exports held above the psychological $30 billion for the month, there was pressure coming from fears of a global slowdown in the light of the sustained hawkishness of central banks.

There were several star export performers in February 2023. Oil Meals (+220.96%), Iron Ore (+51.37%), Spices (+30.85%), Electronic Goods (+29.85%), Fruits & vegetables (+17.42%) and Gems & Jewellery (+13.76%) were the key export growth drivers. In February 2023, the export losers outnumbered the export gainers by a ratio of 16:14.

There were several export laggards in February 2023. Jute manufacturing (-41.51%), Cotton Yarn (-30.41%), Petroleum Products (-28.77%), Handicrafts (-28.30%), Coffee (-26.22%), Plastic & Linoleum (-25.92%) and Carpets (-24.21%) lagged in terms of the exports. The exports laggards were typically where India had traditional advantages but due to weak demand in the global markets, the numbers have taken a hit.

Imports fell in February 2023, led by a sharp fall in gold imports

Merchandise imports for February 2023 stood at $51.31 billion, down -7.5% yoy. Imports were 1.28% higher on a sequential basis. The lower imports on a yoy basis can be partially attributed to the slowdown fears in the Western world as well as a greater focus on import substitution by the Indian government through its PLI scheme. Preferring Russia in the oil basket has made a big difference.

The big import surge in February 2023 came from Transport Equipment (+49.25%), Optical Goods (+29.68%), Project Goods (+22.51%), Iron & Steel (+16.46%), Pulp & waste paper (+14.64%), Newsprint (+13.62%), Machine Tools (+12.17%) and Coal/Coke (+8.90%). Major items in the basket that showed lower imports yoy in February 2023 were Silver (-97.31%), Fertilizers (-59.29%), Sulphur & Iron Pyrites (-54.27%), Gold (-44.92%) and metal Ores & minerals (-30.16%). The lower imports were triggered by the sharp fall in precious metal imports, which is a positive signal for the economy.

Positive signals for the current account

The trade deficit for FY23, originally pegged at $300 billion, may end up at $260 billion. That is substantially higher than last year, but manageable compared to the apprehensions about 4-5 months back. Here is a quick view of overall deficit combining services and merchandise trade as a proxy for current account deficit.

Particulars

Exports FY23 ($ bn)

Imports FY23 ($ bn)

Surplus / Deficit ($ bn)

Merchandise trade$405.94 bn$653.47 bn$(-247.53) bn
Services Trade #$296.94 bn$164.00 bn$+132.94 bn
Overall Trade$702.88 bn$817.47 bn$(-114.59) bn

Data Source: DGFT (# - DGFT estimates due to 1-month lag in RBI reporting)

The overall trade deficit, which is a combination of the merchandise trade deficit and services trade surplus, had fallen from $(118.12) billion in December 2022 to $(111.94) billion in January 2023 and has marginally widened to $(114.59) billion in February 2023. That raises hopes of overall deficit closer to $115 billion, with less of a challenge to CAD. 

Effectively, that will translate into CAD of under 3.3% of GDP. That is still high, but not as bad as the 4.5% CAD for FY23, that we had envisaged in September 2022. Last year, the government had given a special boost to exports in the last few months, but amid global headwinds that looks unlike this time. However, the good news is that the current account deficit should be largely in control in FY23.

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January 2023 trade deficit sharply lower at $17.75 billion

  • 16 Feb , 2023
  • 8:23 AM
  • Merchandise trade deficit for January 2023 touched the lowest level in 12 months at $17.75 billion.

This is a far cry from the peak trade deficit of $30 billion in July 2022. The January trade deficit figure of $17.75 billion puts much less pressure on the current account deficit for FY23. However, total trade which had gained a lot of traction amidst the commodity boom in early 2022, appears to have petered out.

Here is a quick take on total trade, which is material because it shows the total volume of trade and is key to job creation in the Indian economy. After staying above $100 billion for 4 months between March and July 2022, total merchandise trade (imports plus exports) tapered. Total trade fell to $95.82 billion in August, $96.61 billion in September, $86.47 billion in October, $87.87 billion in November and $92.72 billion in December 2022. Total trade for January 2023 fell further to $83.57 billion amid falling commodity prices.

Month

Exports ($ billion)

Imports ($ billion)

Trade Surplus / Deficit

Jan-22

34.50

51.93

-17.43

Feb-22

34.57

55.45

-20.88

Mar-22

42.22

60.74

-18.52

Apr-22

40.19

60.30

-20.11

May-22

38.94

63.23

-24.29

Jun-22

40.13

66.31

-26.18

Jul-22

36.27

66.27

-30.00

Aug-22

33.92

61.90

-27.98

Sep-22

35.45

61.16

-25.71

Oct-22

29.78

56.69

-26.91

Nov-22

31.99

55.88

-23.89

Dec-22

34.48

58.24

-23.76

Jan-23

32.91

50.66

-17.75

Data Source: DGFT

Several factors triggered lower trade deficit, apart from lower commodity prices. India has shifted to Russian oil (which accounts for 30% of oil import basket). This was combined with a consciously policy of import substitution where feasible. Global slowdown fears in the US, UK and EU resulted in lower spending and inventory accumulation in these regions and that has compressed the volume of global trade. 

How does the FY23 macro trade picture look?

For the first 10 months of FY23, the total merchandise exports are higher by 8.5% yoy at $369.25 billion while the total merchandise imports are higher by 21.9% at $602.20 billion. Cumulative total trade (imports + exports) for FY23 is up 16.4% at $971.45 billion while the total trade deficit for the year is sharply higher by 51.5% at $232.95 billion. While the merchandise trade deficit was expected to be closer to $300 billion for FY23 fiscal, the estimates have now been toned down closer to $270 billion.

On the subject of cumulative exports and imports, let us quickly look at the top-10 contributors to exports and imports for first 10 months of FY23.

Export ProductsAmount ($ billion)Import ProductsAmount ($ billion)
Engineering Goods

88.27  

Crude Petroleum

178.45  

Petroleum

78.58  

Electronic Goods

64.45  

Gems & Jewellery

31.61  

Coke / Coal

43.17  

Chemicals

25.40  

Machinery

37.47  

Drugs & Pharma

20.85  

Gold

29.09  

Electronic Goods

18.78  

Chemicals

28.52  

Readymade Garments

13.34  

Pearls & Stones

25.15  

Cotton Yarn

9.04 

Transport Equipment

22.52  

Rice 

8.98 

Resins / Plastics

19.48  

Plastic / Linoleum

7.06 

Iron & Steel

18.81  

Marine Products

6.87 

Vegetable Oil

18.10  

Data Source: Ministry of Commerce

On the exports side, the top 11 products account for 83.6% of the overall export basket for FY23. On the imports side, the top 11 products account for 80.6% of the import basket. Here are some major observations on the exports front. Among the top exported products, the yoy growth in petroleum products and electronic goods was extremely strong, with the latter attributed to the PLI scheme. Exports of cotton yarn as well as plastics and linoleum fell sharply in FY23 compared to FY22.

Let us now turn to the import story for FY23. There was a big surge in the import of coal, coke and briquettes, due to the shortage domestically. Fertilizers and petroleum also surged in terms of imports in FY23. Iron & Steel was another commodity where imports surged. Among the commodities that saw lower imports; there was a sharp fall in gold imports and in the import of medical and pharmaceutical products in FY23.

Electronics exports holds up the January 2023 story

Merchandise exports at $32.91 billion in January 2023 are lower -6.6% yoy. Sequentially, the exports were lower by -4.6% compared to December 2022. While exports held above the psychological $30 billion for the month, there was certainly some pressure coming from fears of a global slowdown in the light of the continued hawkishness of central banks.

There were several star export performers in January 2023. Electronic Goods (+55.54%), Oil Meals (+48.89%), Oil Seeds (+23.81%), Iron Ore (+21.00%), Rice (+18.80%) and Fruits & vegetables (+14.57%) were the key export growth drivers. In the month of January 2023, the export losers outnumbered the export gainers by a ratio of 16:14.

There were a number of export laggards in January 2023. Cotton Yarn (-37.42%), June Manufacturing (-34.12%), Plastics & Linoleum (-30.81%), Carpets (-27.42%), Coffee (-24.31%), Manmade fibre (-21.12%) and Gems & Jewellery (-19.28%) lagged in terms of the exports. Non-petroleum and non-jewellery exports in January 2023 stood lower at $25.35 billion compared to $27.41 billion in January 2022. 

Imports fell sharply in January 2023 led by precious metals

Merchandise imports for January 2023 stood at $50.66 billion, down -3.6% yoy. Imports were -13.02% lower on a sequential basis. The sharply lower imports can be partially attributed to the slowdown fears in the Western world as well as a greater focus on import substitution by the Indian government through its PLI scheme.

The big import surge in January 2023 came from Newsprint (+133.82%), Project Goods (+123.81%), Iron & Steel (+22.71%), Optical Goods (+21.86%), Crude Petroleum (+18.76%), Pulp & Paper (+18.58%), Transport Equipment (+13.02%) and Vegetable Oils (+7.85%). Major items in the basket that showed lower imports yoy in January 2023 were Silver (-82.05%), Gold (-70.76%), Sulphur & Iron Pyrites (-64.44%), Precious Stones (-29.65%) and Raw Cotton (-19.49%). The lower imports were largely triggered by the sharp fall in precious metal imports, which is a positive signal.

Current account deficit now looks manageable

The trade deficit for FY23, which was originally pegged at around $300 billion, now looks to edge closer to $270 billion. That is still substantially higher than last year, but certainly manageable compared to our apprehensions around 4-5 months back. Here is a quick view of overall deficit combining services and merchandise trade to give a good proxy for the current account deficit.

Particulars

Exports FY23 ($ bn)

Imports FY23 ($ bn)

Surplus / Deficit ($ bn)

Merchandise trade$369.25 bn$602.20 bn$(-232.95) bn
Services Trade #$272.00 bn$150.99 bn$+121.01 bn
Overall Trade$641.25 bn$753.19 bn$(-111.94) bn

Data Source: DGFT (# - DGFT estimates due to 1-month lag in RBI reporting)

The overall trade deficit, which is a combination of the merchandise trade deficit and services trade surplus, had surged from $(111.03) billion in November 2022 to $(118.12) billion in December 2022. Thanks to lower merchandise imports and higher services surplus, this overall deficit has compressed to $(111.94) billion in January 2023. That raises hopes of the overall deficit ending closer to $130 billion and poses less of a challenge to CAD. 

That should translate into current account deficit of under 4% of GDP. That is high in absolute terms, but not as bad as the 4.5% envisaged after the September quarter CAD numbers were announced. Imported inflation remains a concern, although the persistently improving services surplus should come as a blessing in disguise for the current account deficit (CAD) for FY23.

It remains to be seen, if Commerce Ministry gives a last minute boost to exports of goods and services in the last 2 months of FY23. That may not change the narrative on CAD, but would make it a lot more palatable.

May 2022 trade deficit widens to all-time high of $24.29 billion

  • India Infoline News Service
  • 16 Jun , 2022
  • 6:52 AM
Let us first savour the good news on the trade front. May 2022 marks the third consecutive month that the total trade (imports plus exports) stayed above the $100 billion mark. The total trade was $102.96 billion in March 2022, $100.49 billion in April 2022 and $102.17 billion in May 2022. However, this also marks third successive month, the merchandise imports stayed above $60 billion. Merchandise trade deficit at $24.29 billion was an all-time record. If this run is maintained, India could end FY23 with total trade above $1.20 trillion and merchandise trade deficit of around $270 billion.



Data Source: DGFT
Three months of solid trade performance
We have seen stable total trade performance for last 3 months. Total trade matters to the creation of jobs and also for MSME performance. Here are some key takeaways.
a)      In the last 3 months between March and May 2022, exports have maintained an average run of $40 billion a month, even amidst the global supply chain constraints.


b)      If you look at comparisons of May 2022 over May 2021, exports are up over 20% while imports are up over 60%. That is where trade deficit pressure is coming from.


c)      India’s overall trade deficit (merchandise plus services) for Apr-May is over $27 billion. At this rate, the overall deficit for the full year could be well above $150 billion, putting immense pressure on the current account deficit.

One specific area that policy makers should look at is the forex reserve cover for merchandise imports. If you consider the current run rate as being reflective, India could be staring at total merchandise imports of $720-$750 billion for FY23. At the current forex reserve levels of $600 billion, that would cover just 9 months of merchandise imports. That is already low and if the RBI continues to intervene to defend the rupee, then the situation could be vulnerable. That is something to be cautious about.

Exports maintain the median tempo in May 2022

Exports at $38.94 billion in May 2022 were up 20.55% yoy. On a sequential basis, the exports were lower by -3.11% compared to April 2022. Despite a weak rupee, the exports are facing strong headwinds in the form of shutdowns in China, Ukraine war, commodity inflation, supply chain constraints and money market tightness. In this light, it is appreciable that export performance has averaged above $40 billion in last 3 months.

There were several star export performers in May 2022. Exports of Petroleum Products (+60.87%), Coffee (+52.67%), Leather products (+48.53%), Electronic Goods (+47.37%), Oil Meals (+45.11%), Cereal preparations (+43.94%), Textiles (+27.85%), Jute (+21.37%), organic and inorganic chemicals (+17.35%) and Tobacco (+16.55%) were among the key export growth drivers in May 2022.

However, there were also some export laggards in May 2022. Iron ore (-66.07%), Other cereals (-32.92%), Cashew (-29.74%), Handicrafts (-17.86%), Plastics & Linoleum (-11.35%) and Carpets (-8.42%) lagged. Non-petroleum and non-jewellery exports in May 2022 stood at $27.16 billion compared to $24.02 billion in May 2021.

Crude oil, coal and gold imports put pressure in May 2022

Merchandise imports for April 2022 stood at $63.22 billion, up 62.83% yoy. Imports were up 4.86% sequentially. Crude oil imports at $19.20 billion in May 2022 was sequentially lower on Russian oil import impact. On a yoy basis, crude imports were up 102.72%. The spike in oil imports was less a function of higher volumes and more a function of higher crude prices amidst supply chain constraints created in the light of the Russia Ukraine war.

The big import surge in May 2022 came from Silver (+2,800%), Gold (+789%), Coal, coke & briquettes (+172%), Petroleum & Crude (103%), Raw Cotton (80.12%), leather products (51.74%) and pulses (42.24%). Major items in the basket that showed lower imports yoy in May 2022 were Project Goods (-63.11%), Professional Instruments (-39.47%), Medicinal Products (-14.52%) and Machine Tools (-10.30%). Gold imports in May 2022 bounced back to $6.05 billion; sharply higher on a yoy basis and also on a sequential basis.

Combined deficit for FY23 hints at a big CAD challenge

The overall trade deficit combining merchandise and services trade stood at $(8.08) billion in April 2022 but burgeoned to $(27.30) billion as of the close of May 2022. That is a sharp increase of $19.22 billion to the overall deficit in one month. At this run rate, the overall deficit could end up closer to $150 billion and could pose a real challenge to the current account deficit (CAD) levels.

Particulars Exports FY23 ($ bn) Imports FY23 ($ bn) Surplus / Deficit ($ bn)
Merchandise trade $78.72 bn $123.41 bn $(-44.69) bn
Services Trade # $45.87 bn $28.48 bn $+17.39 bn
Overall Trade $124.59 bn $151.89 bn $(-27.30) bn

Data Source: DGFT 

Now for a quick recap. India closed FY21 with combined deficit of $-12.75 billion or $1.06 billion a month. The combined deficit in FY22 was $-87.79 billion, or $7.32 billion a month. At the current run rate, it looks like India could close FY23 with an overall deficit in the vicinity of $150 billion, substantially higher than FY22. That would put a lot of pressure on the Indian rupee and also on the sovereign ratings of India.

Here are 2 challenges for trade policy

FY 2022 saw overall trade cross $1 trillion for the first time ever, but it came at the cost of sharply higher crude imports. Additionally, imports of gold, fertilizers, coal, coke and edible oils also surged. Here are 2 possible challenges to trade policy.

·         Supply chain issues remain the big challenge as they make exports difficult and imports more expensive. The China lockdown has already created a shortage of chemicals and API inputs for pharma companies, non-availability of containers and tepid Chinese demand. That is showing impact on a slew of sectors.

·         The Fed is ultra-hawkish and most central banks (including the RBI) are likely to avoid monetary divergence. That means higher rates and tighter liquidity will be the norms for the future. Trade growth is robust, but high inflation and low unemployment could suddenly transition into a recession. Policy risks are abundant in global trade.

In FY22, India scaled the $1 trillion total merchandise trade mark and $400 billion merchandise export mark. FY23 could see record trade numbers but it could also see record trade deficits. That is where the Commerce Ministry will have to figure a way out.

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  • 16 February, 2023 |
  • 3:11 PM

Merchandise trade deficit for January 2023 touched the lowest level in 12 months at $17.75 billion.

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