Belgium H1 Net Rough Diamond Exports $791 Million

Belgium exported a net of $315.2 million worth of rough diamonds in June, more than double the value of net exports in May. Gross exports in June rose to $1.2 billion on shipments of 13,685,138 carats of gem and industrial quality rough diamonds, according to figures released by the AWDC.

Year-over-year, gross export increased 57.4 percent by value and 28 percent by volume. Imports by Belgium’s diamond traders totaled $885.7 million, importing 9,746,551 carats of rough - rising 34.6 percent and 24.8 percent respectively.

In the first half of 2010, Belgium’s net rough diamond exports stood at $791.2 million, a sharp recovery from the $198.8 million exported in the first half of 2009.