HONG KONG: Hong Kong’s polished diamond imports declined 11 percent to $17.52 billion in 2015, according to data from the Diamond Federation of Hong Kong. In volume terms, polished imports fell 12 percent to 18.6 million carats.
Polished imports from India, Hong Kong’s biggest diamond trade partner, fell 13 percent to $7.22 billion compared with the previous year. Imports from Israel slumped 23 percent, while shipments from the U.S. slid 12 percent.
Polished exports decreased 3 percent to $13.31 billion during the period, with exports to Mainland China down 14 percent to $2.3 billion. Consequently, net polished imports, which is the excess of imports minus exports, dived 30 percent to $4.21 billion.
Rough imports tumbled 33 percent to $1.45 billion, while rough exports dropped 31 percent to $1.6 billion. Net rough imports, calculated as imports minus exports, were negative $153.6 million compared with negative $132.2 million a year ago. Hong Kong’s net diamond account, reflecting total rough and polished imports minus total exports, declined 29 percent to $4.06 billion.
