Defence export by India in 2021-22 touches record high; US biggest customer: Data

NEW DELHI: Reflecting a gradual shift in the Indian Defence equipment and systems manufacturing India has been able to gross the highest sale, with the United States being the biggest importer of Indian Defence goods, according to the Ministry of Defence.

Sanjay Jaju, Additional Secretary in the Defence Ministry on Friday told that the country’s defence exports for 2021-22 were Rs 13,000 crore, the highest portion of ale going to the US.

In addition South East Asia, Middle East and Africa were the other major regions which imported from India.

"In 2021-22, we have recorded Rs 13,000 crore of exports which is the highest ever exports number that we have recorded in defence," Sanjay Jaju, Additional Secretary in the Department of Defence Production (DDP), told a press briefing.

“The private sector accounted for 70% of the exports while public sector firms accounted for the rest,” Mr Jaju said.

Earlier the private sector used to account for 90% and now the share of DPSUs has gone up, he added.

The exports in 2021-22 were almost eight times of what they were about five years back, he added.

India's defence exports were worth Rs 8,434 crore in 2020-21, Rs 9,115 crore in 2019-20 and Rs 2,059 crore in 2015-16.

"There has been good progress. Of course, two years of COVID-19 was a bit of a setback. But this year, we have been able to record this number (of Rs 13,000 crore)," he noted.

At an event titled "Artificial Intelligence in Defence" on Monday, the defence ministry will reward a private sector organisation and another from the public sector that performed the best in defence exports, he said.

Generally, he said, private sector companies dominate the defence exports market with a share of almost 90 per cent.

Last year, Indian public sector companies also did well contributing 30 per cent to the country's defence exports, he added.

(With PTI Inputs)