India’s exports went up by 36.4 per cent year-on-year, highest in the last 33-months to USD 22.5 billion in December 2010.

The country’s merchandise exports in December 2009 stood at USD 16.4 billion.

However, imports contracted by 11.1 per cent to USD 25.13 billion over the same period last year, resulting in a narrow trade deficit of USD 2.6 billion, according to Commerce Ministry data which released in New Delhi on Tuesday.

During the April-December period of the current fiscal, the country’s outbound shipment grew by 29.5 per cent to USD 164.7 billion from USD 127.1 billion in the same period last year, the data said.

The imports too increased by 19 per cent to USD 246.7 billion during the first nine-months of the current fiscal from USD 207.3 billion in the same period last year.

The trade gap during the period stood at USD 82 billion.

Commerce Secretary Rahul Khullar had said that India’s export would touch USD 215-225 billion during the current fiscal.