<h1>Tariffs on Indian goods and ongoing trade agreement adjustments affect export competitiveness and sectoral trade flows.</h1> India's merchandise exports rose slightly while the trade deficit widened as imports-notably gold and silver-surged; sectoral exports were mixed and services exports increased. The piece stresses the disruptive impact of steep tariffs on labour intensive outbound shipments and notes partial tariff removals with further reductions conditioned on a trade agreement. Industry called for a dedicated MSME export policy and a Special Interest Package Scheme to address borrowing cost inconsistencies and support exporters.