India and Namibia seek to build jewellery trade links

Seeking to build and strengthen jewellery trade links between India and Namibia, the Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council met with the Namibia Diamond Board at the Bharat Diamond Bourse in Mumbai to explore collaborations.

On August 12, the GJEPC met with a delegation from the Namibia Diamond Board and both organisations recognised the need for increased collaboration to ensure the sustainability of the natural diamond industry, the GJEPC announced on its website. The trade talks addressed the main challenges currently affecting the global diamond industry including the increasing popularity of lab-grown diamonds and high production costs for natural diamonds.
 
In order to enhance the natural diamond value chain, the GJEPC proposed joint marketing activities to promote natural diamonds. The traders’ body also suggested hosting Namibian diamond auctions in India following the recent measures announced in the Union Budget which are designed to boost trade.
 
The delegation from the Namibia Diamond Board included the Namibia Diamond Trading Company’s CEO Brent Eiseb, the Diamond Board of Namibia’s directors Nekulilo Ithete, Bartholomues De Klerk, and Emily Kapulwa, De Beers Marine Namibia’s CEO Willy Mertens, and TaTe Diamonds’ managing director Tashi Shiimi-ya-Shiimi. The GJEPC’s chairman Vipul Shah and vice chairman Kirit Bhansali also attended the meeting along with the Bharat Diamond Bourse’s president Anoop Mehta and others.
 
Delegates at the meeting pledged to pursue skill development and knowledge sharing initiatives. Both parties agreed to keep up regular communication and shared a mutual commitment to work together.