Q.6:- Discuss the major trends in India’s foreign trade. Also list the major products that India trades with other countries.
Answer:-
India is now the 10th largest economy in the world and the fastest growing economy, next only to China. As per the Goldman Sach Report 2004, India is projected to be the second largest economy by 2050. Despite these features, India’s involvement with international business is not very impressive. India’s share in world trade in 2003 was abysmally low, just 0.8 per cent as compared to those of other developing countries such as China (5.9 per cent), Hong Kong (3.0 per cent), South Korea (2.6 per cent), Malaysia (1.3 per cent), Singapore (1.9 per cent), and Thailand (1.1 per cent).
(i) Post liberalization, the share of foreign trade in the country’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product) has grown from 14.6% in 1990-91 to 24.1% in 2003-04. Exports and imports have been increasing continuously since then.
(v) India mainly imported crude oil and petroleum products, capital goods (i.e., machinery), electronic goods, pearl, precious and semi-precious stones, gold, silver and chemicals