India and Saudi Arabia have strengthened their collaboration in the chemicals and petrochemicals sectors following a bilateral meeting between the Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers, Government of India, and the Ministry of Industry and Minerals of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The meeting aimed to strengthen industrial collaboration, encourage investment, and discover new opportunities to drive sustainable growth in both nations.
The Indian team was led by Nivedita Shukla Verma, Secretary, Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals, and the Saudi side was represented by Khalil bin Ibrahim bin Salamah, Vice Minister of Industry and Minerals.
Saudi Arabia is India’s fourth-largest trading partner, whereas India is Saudi Arabia’s second-largest. Bilateral trade between the two countries was $41.88 billion in 2024-25, with chemicals and petrochemicals accounting for roughly 10%, or $4.5 billion, according to the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers.
Both countries saw their complementary strengths: Saudi Arabia in petrochemicals and India in speciality chemicals. They committed to using these skills to broaden collaboration throughout the value chain, including possible investments in India’s Petroleum, Chemical, and Petrochemical Investment Regions (PCPIRs).
The two parties also committed to collaborating on research, development, and skill enhancement.
