What was India-Mali trade in 2024-25?

According to the MEA brief of April 2026, total trade in 2024-25 was USD 210.60 million, with Indian exports of 128.08 and imports from Mali of 82.52 (USD million).

Does Mali get duty free access to India?

Yes. India has extended its Duty Free Tariff Preference (DFTP) Scheme to Mali, providing duty free or preferential access on about 98.2% of India's tariff lines.

Trade and investment between India and Mali

Q: What does India import from Mali?

India's major imports from Mali include raw cotton, gum arabic, hides and skins, gold and cashew nuts.

This article covers trade and investment between India and Mali: the preferential market access India extends to Mali, bilateral trade figures by year, the main goods traded, the sectors the brief identifies for Indian investment, and business delegations and conclaves. It is based on the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) bilateral brief of April 2026, which draws its trade figures from India's Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

Market access

According to the MEA brief of April 2026, India is among the top trading partners of Mali. The brief describes Mali as a least developed country (LDC) that is heavily reliant on external aid.

India has extended its Duty Free Tariff Preference (DFTP) Scheme to Mali. The scheme provides duty free or preferential market access on about 98.2% of India's tariff lines, at the HS 6-digit level of classification.

Bilateral trade

The brief gives the following figures for bilateral trade, in USD million, with the source stated as the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India:

2020-21: India's exports to Mali 186.97; India's imports from Mali 13.97; total trade 200.94; balance of trade 173.01.
2021-22: exports 207.56; imports 22.85; total trade 230.42; balance of trade 184.71.
2022-23: exports 132.49; imports 20.02; total trade 152.51; balance of trade 112.47.
2023-24: exports 119.62; imports 29.35; total trade 148.98; balance of trade 90.27.
2024-25: exports 128.08; imports 82.52; total trade 210.60; balance of trade 45.56.
April 2025 to January 2026: exports 101.95; imports 185.66; total trade 287.61; balance of trade shown as -83.71.

For the partial year April 2025 to January 2026, the table shows India's imports from Mali above its exports to Mali, which is why the balance of trade is negative for that period.

What is traded

India's major exports to Mali, as listed in the brief, include automobiles, pharmaceutical products, cotton textiles and made-ups, woven fabric, rice, tea, coffee, confectionery, bicycle and motorcycle parts and accessories, household articles and sewing machines.

The major items India imports from Mali include raw cotton, gum arabic, hides and skins, gold and cashew nuts.

Investment

The brief states that Mali has a liberal and friendly investment and trade policy. It names power, communications, IT, education, mining, agriculture, automobiles and pharmaceuticals as sectors in which Mali can make use of Indian expertise.

For Indian investors, the brief identifies opportunities in:

agriculture, including cotton, food processing, abattoirs and tanneries
automobiles, in the two-wheeler segment
mining
pharmaceuticals, particularly generic drugs
infrastructure development

The brief does not give figures for Indian investment in Mali or Malian investment in India.

CII and EXIM Bank conclaves

Mali has taken part in several CII-EXIM Bank Conclaves on India-Africa Project Partnership and later CII business conclaves:

March 2005: the Malian delegation was led by the Minister for Promotion of Investment and SMEs, Mr. Ousmane Thiam.
November 2005: the delegation was led by Mr. Madani Traore, Technical Adviser in the Ministry for Promotion of Investments and SMEs.
May 2006: the Malian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Moctar Ouane, attended the CII conclave in Accra, where he also took part in the TEAM-9 Ministerial Meeting.
March 2017: the then Minister of Investment Promotion and Private Sector, Mr. Konimba Sidibe, attended the 12th CII Exim Bank Conclave in New Delhi.
March 2019: Mali's Minister for Equipment, Madam Traore Seynabou Diop, attended the 14th edition.
27-29 August 2025: a 15 member business delegation from Mali, including many CEOs, attended the 20th edition of the CII India-Africa Business Conclave in New Delhi.

CII business delegation to Mali, October 2025

A business delegation led by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), organised in collaboration with the Ministry of External Affairs and the Embassy of India, Bamako, visited Mali on October 6-7, 2025. The visit included the India-Mali Business Forum, which the brief describes as a platform for direct B2B engagements aimed at expanding bilateral trade and investment.

The delegation called on H.E. Mr. Alousséni Sanou, Minister of State, Minister of Economy and Finance of Mali, to discuss the economic climate and investment opportunities. It also met APEX-Mali (the Malian Export Promotion Agency) and API-Mali (the Investment Promotion Agency). According to the brief, the discussions focused on industrial partnerships, technical cooperation and the identification of high-growth sectors for future collaborative ventures.

Economic agreements

Two of the bilateral agreements listed in the brief concern economic sectors: a MOU on Cooperation in Geology and Mineral Resources, signed in January 2012 during President Touré's state visit, and a MOU on Standards between the Bureau of Indian Standards and Direction Nationale De Industries, Mali, dated September 2016.