India’s exports of gherkins for FY26 are likely to dip around 10 per cent due to the tariffs imposed by the US — the largest market. However, the weakening rupee has partly cushioned realisations, exporters said.
“To a certain extent, there will be some decline in the exports volumes. The dollar, which has appreciated, has taken care of some of the turnover basis but the quantity will certainly get reduced,” said GM Vinod, President, Indian Gherkin Exporters Association (IGEA).
The US is the largest market for Indian gherkin exports. “Our exposure is about 25 per cent to the US. And we are trying to diversify into other markets like Europe and Russia. However, we are not getting proper pricing from those markets. So, it’s an issue for us,” Vinod said.
“Europe and Russia grow on their own gherkins also in substantial quantities and Turkiye is a direct competitor for us in Europe. Besides, some of the Eastern European countries also produce gherkins. So, we are not able to penetrate into those markets very well at the moment,” Vinod added.
Per Apeda data, cucumber and gherkin exports touched $169.71 million during April-October of the current financial year — up from $159.02 million a year earlier. In volume terms, exports stood at 1.69 lakh tonnes ( 1.48 lakh tonnes). During 2024-25, gherkin exports had touched a record $306.72 million and over 2.89 lakh tonnes in volumes.
Exporters trim output
India ships gherkins both in bulk and bottled forms. “There may be a reduction of 10 per cent in overall export volumes this year due to the impact of US tariff,” said Pradeep Pooviah, an exporter. “Both buyer and exporters are taking the additional costs of this duty imposed by the US as it is not easy for the buyers to shift to other origins,” Pooviah said.
Further, he said unlike shrimp and seafood, gherkins lack strong alternative markets. “ Though the trade agreements with the UK and Australia may help us somewhere, but they have smaller volumes for us,” he added.
Pooviah said the exporters are awaiting the 3 per cent interest subvention announced in the trade policy and faster GST refunds. “It still takes 30-40 days to get the GST refund,” he added.
Gherkins are grown under contract farming in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Most of the crop is exported as domestic demand is negligible. Considering the market uncertainty, exporters have trimmed their production. “There is a slight cut in production. We are trying to get into the other markets,” Vinod said.
Published on January 2, 2026
