India, Nov. 14 -- New Delhi [India], November 14 (ANI) India and Saudi Arabia are "close" to finalising an agreement to double the bilateral textile trade, with officials saying Riyadh is looking to scale up imports of India's high-quality fabrics.

The pact is in its final stages, with duty reductions and several other proposals currently under negotiation, sources in the Textile Ministry told ANI.

India is the second-largest supplier (USD 517.5 million) to Saudi Arabia's textile and apparel sector, capturing an 11.2 per cent share of Saudi Arabia's total textile and apparel imports in 2024.

"We are trying to collaborate in such a way that trade goes beyond 20-25 percentage points. Riyadh wants to increase the import share from India. ...