Vladivostok, Sept 02: Data presented at Sber’s expert dialogue at the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) demonstrate major changes in the structure of Russian-Indian trade. Alexander Vedyakhin, First Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board of Sberbank, noted that imports from India are undergoing not merely quantitative but qualitative changes, while the SME sector is showing multiple-fold growth.
According to SberIndia, the total payment turnover under the Business Development project for SMEs in the first eight months of 2026 exceeded the figure for the whole of 2025 by almost 11 times. At the same time, growth is being driven not by traditional goods such as tea and rice, but by machinery, electronics, industrial equipment, automotive components and batteries.
Alexander Vedyakhin, First Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board of Sberbank:
“We are seeing a significant sectoral shift in Indian imports. Two years ago, the top five sectors and product categories were dominated by traditional groups such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and food products. Today, supplies of machinery, electronics, industrial equipment, automotive and aircraft components, and batteries are growing rapidly. The structure of imports from India to Russia is undergoing not merely quantitative but qualitative changes. We can see that the growth in the range of products is confidently outpacing the growth in volumes.”
A particularly telling example is the shift from consumer goods to industrial products. For instance, supplies of technical textiles for industrial and medical applications increased by 82% to $23.2 million, while the overall Russian technical textiles market is estimated at $3 billion, creating significant potential for further growth.