Direction of Trade

India’s trade relations are not limited to a few countries — the country has commercial links with most nations and major trading blocs of the world. The direction of trade refers to the geographical pattern of these trade flows: which regions and countries India exports to and imports from.

The textbook provides data for the period 2021-22, organised region-wise and sub-region-wise in Table 8.6. You are expected to be able to draw a multiple bar diagram from this data to compare India’s major trading partners visually. The key point is that India’s foreign trade is overwhelmingly carried through sea and air routes. A much smaller portion moves overland, and that too only with neighbouring countries — specifically Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.