This article covers trade between India and Suriname, the goods exchanged, Indian projects and credits, agricultural cooperation and the business agreements between the two countries. All facts and figures are drawn from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) bilateral brief of June 2026.

Trade figures

According to the MEA brief of June 2026, trade and economic links between India and Suriname are "modest". The brief gives the following figures for the last three financial years, in US$ million:

  • 2023-2024: exports to Suriname 29.25, imports from Suriname 22.60, total bilateral trade 51.85
  • 2024-2025: exports to Suriname 28.55, imports from Suriname 32.80, total bilateral trade 61.35
  • 2025-2026: exports to Suriname 26.69, imports from Suriname 20.98, total bilateral trade 47.67

Goods traded

Indian exports to Suriname consist of boilers, machinery, iron and steel, electrical machinery and equipment, sound recorders, pharmaceutical products, textiles, vehicles, coffee, tea and spices, rubber, paper, tobacco, organic chemicals, furniture, carpets, ceramic products, footwear and printed books.

Indian imports from Suriname consist of wood, aluminium, textiles, herbal products, garments, spices and electrical machinery.

Indian companies and projects

The brief says there are a few Indian companies in Suriname, mostly engaged in trading. Two Indian companies, M/s Kalpataru Power Transmission Limited India and M/s Transrail, are currently executing EPC projects for power transmission in Suriname.

Suriname has received Buyers Credits worth USD 23.4mn from India, extended through the EXIM bank of India. USD 15 Mn. was utilised for the acquisition of vertical pumps for M/s Kirloskar. A second project worth USD 8.4 Mn. was allocated to the Ministry of Agriculture of Suriname for the restoration of the Pumping Station of Wageningen, also facilitated by M/s Kirloskar.

According to the brief, there is potential for Indian companies to trade and invest in MSME in the agriculture and food processing sector, gold, petroleum and gas, bauxite, kaolin, solar energy, hydro, pharmaceuticals, Ayush and traditional medicine, innovative technology, tourism and IT.

Energy and finance contacts

A delegation from the Surinamese oil and gas company Staatsolie held a meeting with representatives of Indian petroleum companies and the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas (MoPNG) in India in July 2024.

Finance Minister of India Nirmala Sitharaman met her Surinamese counterpart, Armand Achaibersingh, at IMF headquarters in April 2022.

Agricultural cooperation

On 7 March 2003, India and Suriname signed an MoU to establish agricultural cooperation. It led to the establishment of a Joint Working Group (JWG), which provides a platform for specialists to exchange knowledge and for the deputation of experts in the agriculture field.

On 4 October 2018, Mr. Lekhram Soredjan, the Minister of Agriculture for Suriname, held bilateral discussions in New Delhi with his counterpart, Shri Radha Mohan Singh. They focused on agricultural cooperation, support for rice development research and the JWG plan for 2017-21.

In its section on the economy, the brief states that a five-year JWG work plan was signed during President Murmu's visit in June 2023 and gives its period as 2022-2027. Its political section gives the period of the agriculture work plan signed during the same visit as 2023-2027.

Business agreements and events

The brief lists several agreements aimed at promoting bilateral trade:

  • On 9 March 2018, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the Suriname India Chamber of Commerce (SICCI) signed an agreement to enhance bilateral trade and economic relations.
  • On 5 November 2018, SICCI and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) signed a new MOU.
  • In August 2022, the Bureau of Indian Standards and the Suriname Standards Bureau signed an MoU to strengthen mutual trade and expertise sharing in standards and conformity assessment activities.

During President Santokhi's visit to India, the Economic Diplomacy Division of the MEA, in association with CII, FICCI and ASSOCHAM, held a business meeting in Gandhi Nagar, Gujarat, on 12 January 2023. A Surinamese government delegate also took part in the 9th CII India-LAC Conclave from 3-5 August 2023.