India’s trade deficit narrowed to the lowest in four months in September as the nation reined in its import bill.

The gap between imports and exports stood at $20.78 billion in September, Trade Ministry data showed Wednesday, lower than the $24.63 billion deficit forecast by economists in a Bloomberg survey. India reported a trade deficit of $29.6 billion in August.

Imports grew 1.6% from a year earlier to $55.36 billion in September, while exports rose 0.5% to $34.58 billion during the month. Inbound shipments were $64.36 billion in August, while outbound shipments stood at $34.71 billion.