Exports rise for the first time in seven months, up almost 6% in September

Imports down 19.6%, trade deficit declines 77%

Exports grew for the first time in seven months at 5.99 per cent in September, boosted by items such as pharmaceuticals and engineering goods.

The growth number was higher than 5.27 per cent estimated in the first week of October by the government. The growth assumes importance since it has been contracting not only six months prior to September but in all the previous months of the current calendar year, barring February.

The outbound shipments stood at $27.58 billion in September against $26.02 billion in the year-ago month, showed the trade data released by the commerce department on Thursday. The export number