I (Meaning and importance of Exports) Unit Structure

(a) Agricultural and Allied Products 
This includes tea, coffee, tobacco, spices, sugar, raw cotton, 
fruits, vegetable and pulse. The share of exports of agriculture and 
allied products has declined from 14.0% in 2000-01 to about 9.1 % 
in 2008-09. 
(b) Ores and Minerals 
This includes manganese ore, mica and iron ore. The export 
of ores and minerals was 2% of total exports in 2000-01 and 
increased to 4.2% in 2008-09. A major share of ores and minerals 
exports comes from the export of iron ore. 
(c) Manufactured Items 
This includes textiles, ready-made garments, leather and 
footwear, engineering goods, chemicals, and so on. The share of 
manufactured goods in total export earnings was about 79% in 
2000-01 and reduced to 66.4% in 2008-09. 
(d) Mineral Fuels and Lubricants 
There has been an improvement in the export of mineral 
fuels and lubricants both in terms of value and in terms of 
percentage. In percentage terms, its share has increased from 
4.3% in 2000-01 to 14.9% in 2008-09. 
The first category of exports includes traditional items while 
the other categories include non-traditional items of exports. After 
2000, positive changes are noticed in the composition of India‟s 
foreign tread. Exports now cover wide range of items from 
agricultural, industrial, services and other sectors. 

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The importance of non-traditional items is increasing while 
the importance of traditional items is declining. New items like 
ready made garments, sports goods, engraining goods, gems and 
jewellery and marine products are being exported on a large scale 
from India. 
Projects exports have also made significant progress in 
recent years. Electronic hardware and software exports have 
increased in a significant way. This suggests that there is 
diversification on the composition of India‟s export trade.