Hong Kong sees 4% decrease in polished diamond imports in 2012

Hong Kong posted a 4-percent decline on the year in its imports of polished diamonds for 2012 to almost $16.6 billion, ‎the Diamond Federation of Hong Kong, China Limited reported.

In ‎volume terms, imports plunged 21 percent to 20.59 million carats, while the average price per carat of ‎the imports soared by 23 percent to close to $805. ‎

Hong Kong's imports of polished diamonds from India dropped 12 percent to $7.1 billion, while those from Israel fell 9 percent to $2.1 billion, and from the United States declined three percent to $1.8 billion.

Meanwhile, imports polished goods from Belgium increased by 8 percent to $2 billion, while those from Mainland China surged 29 percent to $1.3 billion. ‎

In terms of polished exports, Hong Kong reported a 12-percent decline to $11.5 billion in 2012.

The drop in exports to India was particularly sharp, with a 37-percent fall to $3.2 billion, while exports to Mainland China, for which Hong Kong serves as an important artery, declined by 5 ‎percent to $2.1 billion. ‎

In rough imports, there was a 15-percent drop to $1.7 billion last year, while rough ‎exports climbed 10 percent to $1.9 billion.