The negotiations to reach a
Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement between India and Oman are moving
at a fast pace according to official sources
Free trade agreement with Oman will help boost apparel
exports as huge business opportunities are there in the Gulf nation for Indian
exporters, Apparel Export Promotion Council said.The Council said that the
swift movement towards CEPA is encouraging and will be
a game changer for India- Oman bilateral trade.
The bilateral trade between
the two countries stood at 12.39 billion US dollars in 2022-23, up from 9.99
billion US dollars in the previous year.
“The RMG (readymade
garments) exports to Oman grew from 13 million US dollars in 2020 to 28 million
US dollars in 2021. The customs duty in Oman is 5 per cent on RMG products.
Though it is a small market but has immense potential to grow once tariff is
eliminated post-FTA and will be another doorway to GCC countries,†said a
spokesman of AEPC .
The Gulf Cooperation Council
(GCC) is a union of six countries in the Gulf region — Saudi Arabia, the UAE,
Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain. The council is the largest trading bloc of
India.
India is organizing BHARAT TEX EXPO 2024 here from
February 26-29 next year in a bid to increase exports to the region. A roadshow to attract domestic industry for the show was organized by the AEPC on December
15 in Bengaluru.