Gem & jewellery sector seeks duty cuts on gold

Mumbai: Ahead of the Union Budget, the Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) have urged the government to reduce import duty on gold and cut and polished diamonds to help the sector stay competitive globally.

India's gem and jewellery industry is dependent on imports for raw materials, including gold, diamonds, silver, and coloured gemstones. The GJEPC seeks a reduction in import duty on precious metals to 4 per cent from the current 15 per cent. It demands bringing down customs duty on cut & polished diamonds to 2.5 per cent from 5 per cent at present. The apex industry body stated that imposing higher import duty on cut and polished gemstones would lead to reduced exports, fewer employment generation in the jewellery industry thereby making survival difficult due to losing competitive edge to other competing countries like China and Thailand. It urged the government to introduce the Diamond Imprest Licence again and cut import duties.