ArmInfo.In the first half of 2019, the volume of diamond exports from Armenia decreased by 17.7% per annum, against the 8.2% decline a year earlier. According to the RA Customs Service, during the reporting period, Armenia exported 101.2 thousand carats of diamonds, the customs value of which decreased by 33.5% per annum to $ 28.5 million.
The dominant export volume of diamonds from Armenia falls on the United Arab Emirates (59.2%), Russia (15.8%), Belgium (8.5%), the USA (8.3%), Israel (4.5%), Canada ( 2.8%), and to a lesser extent - India, Thailand and Georgia.
At the same time, an upward dynamics was recorded in import of products of the diamond-cutting industry: in quantitative terms, supply volumes increased in the I half of 2019 by 58.6% per annum (against the 7.5% growth over the same period in 2018). During the reporting period, 416.2 thousand carats of rough diamonds were imported into the republic, worth $ 76.6 million (with a y-o-y decline of 3.4%). Diamond raw materials are imported to Armenia from Hong Kong (45.7%), India (20.4%), United Arab Emirates (18.5%), Switzerland (5%), Belgium (3%), Canada (2.8%), Israel (1.4%), Thailand (0.3%), South Africa (0.2%), as well as the United States, Germany, Russia.
To note for comparison, that in the first half of 2018, Armenia exported 122.9 thousand carats of diamonds with a total value of $ 42.9 million, and imported 262.5 thousand carats of diamonds with a total value of $ 79.3 million.
According to the Statistical Committee of the Republic of Armenia, in the first half of 2019, jewelry production in Armenia decreased by 31.8% - to 17.5 billion AMD ($ 36.1 million).