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Commerce ministry in its latest data has showed that India's imports from Russia jumped about five times to $41.56 billion during the April-February period of this fiscal due to increasing volume of crude oil shipments from Russia to India. In 2021-22, Russia was India's 18th largest import partner, with imports totaling $9.86 billion.

It stated that from just 0.2 per cent of all oil imported by India, Russia supplied 28 per cent of the total oil imported in January. Russia has become India's fourth largest import source in the first 11 months of the current fiscal. India, the world's third-largest crude importer after China and the United States, has been buying Russian oil that was available at a discount after some in the West shunned it as a means of punishing Moscow for the invasion of Ukraine.

The data showed that imports from China rose by about 6.2 per cent to $90.72 billion during the April-February period. Similarly, imports from UAE increased by 21.5 per cent to $48.88 billion. India's imports from the US grew by about 19.5 per cent to $46 billion during the period.

On the export front, the US emerged as the top destination for Indian exporters during the 11-month period, accounting for 17.5 per cent of the country's total outbound shipments. Exports to the US increased to $70.99 billion as against $68.447 billion during April-February period of 2021-22. As per the data, exports to the UAE increased to $28.63 billion during the April-February period as against $24.95 billion in the year-ago period. However, exports to China dipped to $13.64 billion during the period as against $19.81 billion during April-February period of 2021-22.