New Delhi, Sep 9 (PTI) India's merchandise exports have risen by about 15 per cent in April-August this fiscal despite global uncertainties, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Wednesday.

Addressing the BRICS Women's Business Alliance (WBA) Women-Led Development Summit 2026 here, he said that huge potential exists between India and BRICS nations to increase trade in goods and services.

"Despite all the turmoil that the world is going through today...we are well aware of the softening of internal trade. I am happy to share that our merchandise exports from India have grown between April and August, in the first five months of this fiscal, by upward of 15 per cent," he said.

The commerce ministry will release the exports and imports data for August formally on September 15.

During April-July this fiscal, exports jumped 17.04 per cent to USD 173.78 billion, and imports climbed 19.27 per cent to USD 292.38 billion.

The minister suggested that BRICS members support women entrepreneurs through financial intermediaries.

"If we can commit our governments to encourage women-owned enterprises to take greater part in international expositions, conferences, seminars, exhibitions, business forums, it will actually help us engage on many more platforms than an annual Women Business Alliance meeting," he said.

Goyal called upon BRICS countries to work together to expand opportunities for women entrepreneurs and women-led enterprises in international trade, stressing the need for easier access to credit, markets and predictable rules of business.

He said that an entrepreneur seeking to enter international business has to cross three key borders: access to credit, access to buyers and markets, and access to predictable rules that encourage free trade and open opportunities.

Goyal said India would like to bring the lessons learnt from its experience in addressing the challenges faced by entrepreneurs, particularly women entrepreneurs, to the BRICS Women's Business Alliance and the larger BRICS business engagement.

On expanding access to international markets, Goyal referred to the meeting of BRICS Commerce and Industry Ministers held in Jaipur last month, where ministers agreed on voluntary principles for assessing small exporters.

He said the assessment should not be based only on invoices and payments, but also on the entrepreneur's ability and the change from the past to the present and the future.

He said foreign trade should not be viewed only as a collateralised business, but as an opportunity to integrate societies and businesses and provide opportunities to marginalised sections that may otherwise never imagine going overseas.

He added that BRICS countries had also agreed in the Jaipur Consensus to explore a common BRICS platform for international trade, which could help address the second challenge faced by entrepreneurs, namely access to markets and buyers.

He said a number of financial intermediaries could join the platform to support women entrepreneurs and small entrepreneurs as trade among BRICS countries expands.

Referring to the BRICS work plan on member countries' shared understanding on global value chains, Goyal urged governments to encourage women-owned enterprises to participate more actively in international expositions, conferences, seminars, exhibitions and business forums. He said this would enable engagement across multiple platforms.

He urged BRICS countries to consider more women-led business delegations on a sectoral basis. He suggested that BRICS countries could organise sector-specific women-led delegations, such as a fully women-led textile delegation travelling from one BRICS member country to another.

On the challenge of predictable rules for doing business, the minister said business cannot be conducted without sufficient predictability and certainty, open borders and an environment that encourages free trade.

Goyal said BRICS members should work towards a common platform enabling electronic trade documents, e-invoices, electronic bills of lading and e-customs declarations.

He also referred to the voluntary principles agreed upon to facilitate the delivery of services online across borders, while respecting and protecting each country's laws.

At a time when global trade is showing signs of strain and the world is facing significant challenges in a VUCA environment marked by volatility and uncertainty, with two wars currently underway, he stressed the importance of collective efforts to increase business among BRICS countries while continuing to engage with the rest of the world.

With global services trade at almost USD 10 trillion, he said the relatively low level of services trade among BRICS countries indicates significant growth potential.

He said women can play an important role in areas such as mobility and different types of services, as well as in the rapidly growing digital economy. He emphasised the tremendous potential for BRICS countries to work together to improve service delivery and enable women entrepreneurs and MSMEs to participate in services and the digital economy.

On access to credit, he called upon the BRICS Women's Business Alliance, together with the BRICS Business Council to ensure that the study on an invoice discounting platform reflects the actual needs of women exporters.

He also urged governments, banks and Exim Banks to consider such invoices while taking lending decisions and called for the proposal for a Women's Advancement Fund, emphasised in the Jaipur Consensus, to be turned into a concrete initiative. PTI RR MR