The bulk of the rise in imports was accounted for by non-oil goods and commodities, which went up by 54.29 per cent to USD 13.21 billion. The oil imports on the other hand rose by a modest 11.4 per cent to 4.42 billion dollars.
On account of high imports, the trade deficit saw a huge jump of 79 per cent to 7 billion dollars from 3.9 billion dollars in April last year. The April figures show that the concerns over the impact of rising rupee on exports were exaggerated, say analysts.
However, in the wake of 12.7 per cent increase in rupee value, the government is taking steps to help small exporters so that the target of USD 160 billion for 2007-08 is met.
Officials say rise in non-oil imports underlines increased economic activity and creation of new productive capacities. Besides, the government has recently lowered customs duty on a number of items.