From Baseball Gloves to Metro Coaches, Here’s a List of Things You Didn’t Know India Exported

India’s exports are believed to have raked in over 318 billion dollars for the country in 2014 alone. On this list of exports are unusual items like dried moss and body armour.

India has been an important trading centre from as early as the first century BC. Over the years, India has continued to be sought after for its products, ideas, ideologies and even human capital!

While Bollywood and yoga may still be the most popular exports from our country, there’s a touch of India in museums, baseball grounds, and high-end boutiques across the world.

Here are eight unusual exports that have quietly been contributing to India’s GDP.

1. Amla Juice

Image for representation only. Source: Wikimedia Commons

For many, summer holidays in India would be incomplete without biting into fresh gooseberries dabbed with salt and lal mirch. But did you know that this unassuming little berry has great international demand?

Amlas are known for their numerous health benefits – a fact that grandmothers across the country will definitely attest to. This is the reason the tangy berries often find their way into our pickles and juices. This is also the reason that states like Tamil Nadu, Telangana and West Bengal export Amla juice to Nepal, Australia, Canada and the UAE.

All hail the little berry!

2. Body Armour

Image for representation only. Source: Wikipedia

Men weighed down by their chain mail, heading grimly into battle. Resounding clangs as swords and spears meet the resistance of a metal armour. Battle scenes from a medieval past. These are typically the scenes the word ‘armour’ brings to mind; scenes one no longer associates with 2016.

But as companies in India will tell you, armours are a thriving business even today! Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab and Haryana are home to companies that manufacture and export full-body armour. These are typically used as display pieces in exhibitions or in plays in the US, Sweden and Canada.

But maybe, just maybe, chivalrous knights are making a comeback? One can always hope.

3. Army Shoes

Image for representation only. Source: Flickr

Did you know that the boots that most armies stomp into battle with are made in India?

The Israeli company Noga-Einat Shoe Industries is a leading supplier of military wear in the world. It also has a tie-up with the Indian company, Rahman Industries. This means that military and para-military forces around the world walk a little easier, thanks to the boots made in our very own Kanpur.

4. Baseball Gloves

Image for representation only. Source: Wikipedia

The All-American game of baseball has a small Indian connect too! The game itself may find little purchase in our cricket-obsessed nation, but that has not stopped our manufactures from cashing in on the popular sport. Indian manufacturers in Punjab, New Delhi and Uttar Pradesh produce and export baseball gloves to countries like the US and UK.

Talk about hitting a home run!

5. Dried Moss

Image for representation only. Source: Wikipedia

If you remember playing happily around ponds and lakes as a kid, you probably also remember being yelled at, for ruining your clothes with grass and moss stains. And if you thought that moss existed solely to get you into trouble, think again!

Moss is used for decorative purposes around the world – a fact that producers in Kolkata will vouch for, since they export dried moss to countries like the Netherlands and Canada.

6. Jellyfish

Image for representation only. Source: Wikipedia

From salads and noodles, to desserts and even ice creams – the use of jellyfish in all things edible is a common occurrence in South East Asia countries. It is even considered a delicacy in Japan, Vietnam and Korea.

Seemandhra and Tamil Nadu deliver happiness in the form of jellyfish to the above mentioned countries.

7. Metro Coaches

Image for representation only. Source: Wikipedia

Visits to Australia and Brazil will soon fill your heart with patriotic pride. Confused?

A consignment of six metro coaches left Indian shores to make its way to Australia recently. The event made history since this was the first time that India exported metro coaches.

Over the next two years, India will export a total of 450 metro coaches to Australia; 521 bogie frames for Brazil’s Sao Paulo monorail will also be made in India.

8. Items made of Camel Leather

Image for representation only. Source: Wikipedia

Camels are synonymous with the desert state of Rajasthan, whose people use camel leather to make a variety of products, including shoes, bags and accessories. While Indians have used it for several years now, camel leather is fast becoming an international favourite. Manufacturers in Maharashtra and West Bengal are meeting this global demand by exporting products made of camel leather to China, Thailand, France and Italy.

(With inputs from Varun Jadia)

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