India s diamond hub Surat abuzz after prolonged lull
While many stakeholders in the industry see the recent rise in production as a temporary affair driven by the festive season, some are hopeful that it will continue.
Diamond
While a majority of sectors have been negatively impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, raw diamond cutting and polishing units in and around Surat city of Gujarat are abuzz with activities after a prolonged lull.
Media reports say that India is the world’s largest cutting and polishing centre of rough diamonds, and 14 out of every 15 rough diamonds in the world are polished here. Surat is the hub for cutting, polishing and processing rough diamonds and 85 percent of the diamonds are exported. The diamond sector was facing a slowdown in recent years. The situation worsened from in the last week of March when the nationwide lockdown was announced.