Belgium Polished Diamond Trade $1.38B in January
February 10, 10
 |
Belgium’s gross polished diamond exports totaled $647.76 million in January, a 16.1 percent year-over-year increase. Imports of $736.64 million worth of goods reflected a 12.2 percent increase compared to January 2009. Net imports left the trading center with surplus of $88.89 million worth of goods, propelled by large returns from the U.S.
In volume, Belgium exported 521,996 carats of polished, at an average value of $1,240.92 per carat. Imports of 646,522 carats were valued at $1,139.39 p/c.
January trade reflected the recent revival in consumer demand and retailers need to replenish their stocks.
As could be expected, nearly a third of the goods by value (30.4%) were shipped to the U.S., followed by Hong Kong (18.4%) and Israel (12.4%)
Imports from the U.S. represented 22.3 percent of the value of January’s imports, identical to the level of imports from India. Imports from Israel, the third leading destination, accounted for 12.1 percent of imports.