India now ranks among the top 10 countries globally in the number of patents, trademarks and industrial design applications, according to the World Intellectual Property Organization’s (WIPO) 2024 report on IP trends.

The World Intellectual Property Indicators report underscores India’s rapid progress in the intellectual property (IP) landscape. India recorded the fastest growth among the top 20 origins in patent applications, with a 15.7% increase in 2023, marking its fifth consecutive year of double-digit growth in this area, the commerce ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

With 64,480 patent applications, India now ranks sixth worldwide, crossing a notable threshold as Indian filings accounted for over half the total (55.2%) for the first time, it said. This upward trend in patent applications is accompanied by an impressive 149.4% surge in granted patents compared with the previous year, indicating rapid development within India’s IP infrastructure.

Industrial design applications have also risen by a remarkable 36.4%, attributed to a heightened focus on the manufacturing and creative sectors. Textiles, tools and machines, and health and cosmetics emerged as the leading industries, representing nearly half of all design applications, demonstrating India’s growing emphasis on both functional and aesthetic innovation in product development.

Trademark filings, another indicator of the nation’s burgeoning IP ecosystem, saw a 6.1% increase in 2023, positioning India fourth globally, the ministry said.

Almost 90% of trademark applications were filed by domestic entities, with health (21.9%), agriculture (15.3%) and clothing (12.8%) leading the charge. India’s trademark office now holds the second largest number of active registrations globally, with over 3.2 million trademarks currently in force, it said.

WIPO reported a 2.7% increase in patent filings worldwide in 2023, totaling 3.55 million applications.

China, the US, Japan, South Korea and India contributed the most to this growth, as countries emphasized domestic innovation.

India has seen a significant shift in the proportion of resident versus non-resident patent filings over the last decade, reflecting a substantial transformation in its IP environment.

As per the report, in 2013 resident filings represented only 24.8% of total patent applications.

By 2023, however, this distribution reversed, with resident filings climbing to 55.2%. This shift highlights the increasing prominence of domestic innovation and intellectual property activities, fuelled by various government initiatives such as the ‘Make in India’ programme, which has encouraged local manufacturing and innovation.

The rise in resident filings signifies the strengthening of India’s research and development capabilities and a growing recognition of the value of IP protection.

Agriculture exports to reach nearly $50 bn in 2024-25

India’s agriculture exports will post positive year-on-year growth in 2024-25 at nearly $50 billion, reversing the contraction witnessed in FY24, mainly because of the government lifting curbs on rice exports after assessing higher production, record inventories and robust global demand, officials said on Tuesday.

Agricultural exports have received a significant boost in FY25 from the recent easing of rice export, which is likely to surpass the total agri export value for fiscal 2021-22, but may not cross the 2022-23 figure, they said, requesting anonymity. The total value of all agricultural product exports in the first six months (April-September) of the current financial year is $23.4 billion.

According to government data, India’s total agricultural exports in 2021-22 were $49.6 billion, posting a 20% y-o-y growth. Next fiscal year (FY23), the figure jumped to a record $52.5 billion, posting about 6% annualised growth. It, however, fell by 8.28% in 2023-24 to $48.15 billion due to curbs on exports of various agricultural commodities such as rice, wheat and sugar, a move that was aimed at ensuring steady domestic supply and keeping inflation under check.

“Overall agricultural exports will get a boost after the lifting of the export curbs on non-basmati rice. There is huge demand for rice and the move is expected to see agri exports crossing $50 billion,” one official said. India is one of the largest rice exporters of the world.

With the government lifting the ban on the export of non-basmati rice, their exports are likely to reach 17-18 million tonnes in the current financial year (FY25) as compared to 14-15 million tonnes in FY24. The government lifted curbs on overseas shipments of non-basmati white rice and exempted parboiled rice and husked (brown) rice from export duty effectively from October 2024. The export curbs were imposed in July 2023.

Before the export curbs, India’s non-basmati exports were $6.13 billion in 2021-22 (with 27.5% y-o-y growth) and $6.35 billion (3.64% y-o-y growth) in 2022-23. After imposing curbs, the figure fell to $4.57 billion (28.05% y-o-y contraction) in 2023-24. In the first six months of the current financial year, exports of non-basmati rice saw a sharp 16.84% contraction to $2.25 billion.

The lifting of the ban would give a boost to exports and basmati exports may touch 5.5 million tonnes, while parboiled rice would be about 7-8 million tonnes and over 4 million tonnes of non-basmati rice, the official said. He said other agricultural items such as fruits, vegetables, meat and meat products, beverages and processed food are also showing healthy growth.

Even during the ban, India allowed exports of rice to friendly nations such as Maldives, Mauritius, the UAE and African countries.