India’s pledge to import $500 billion worth of US goods in five years would be difficult to execute and could strain the country’s current account deficit, putting renewed pressure on the rupee, trade economists said. “This (import pledge) is surely going to impact India’s trade balance and hence, overall balance of payments,” Biswajit Dhar, trade economist and a former professor in Jawaharlal Nehru University, said. For April-November 2025, the merchandise trade deficit reached $248.32 billion, higher than $223.96 billion in the same period of FY25. Sluggish exportsDhar argued that India’s exports have been sluggish, save for mobile phone production, which has given a fillip to the overall numbers. If the trade deficit goes up, it puts pressure on the current account deficit, which in turn leads to currency depreciation, making imports costlier.

Source: The Telegraph February 11, 2026 01:19 UTC