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RAPAPORT... Surat’s diamond community appealed to Gujarat state officials to provide an international airport to facilitate trade in the city’s diamond center, the India Times reported.
“Surat is the powerhouse of the glittering diamond trade in India. Despite being the world's largest diamond manufacturing center, the city lacks international air connectivity,” said Chandrakant Sanghavi, the regional chairman of the Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC). “It is our humble request to the central government that on the occasion of Swarnim Gujarat celebrations, [it] provide an international airport in Surat for the direct import and export of rough and polished diamonds.”
Sanghavi’s comments came as Gujarat celebrated its Golden Jubilee. Approximately 80 percent of the world’s diamonds are said to be polished in Surat. However, access from India’s diamond trading hub in Mumbai is limited, with the most efficient route there being a three-hour train ride.
Local manufacturers are also lobbying to create a trading hub in Surat to complement its manufacturing industry. The India Times reported that the GJEPC has also requested that the Union Ministry of Commerce consider other steps to make this change possible. These include enabling bank branches in Surat to make decisions regarding financing for the local diamond sector, allowing consignment importations of rough diamonds to ensure a smooth flow of raw materials for cutting and polishing artisans, supporting research and development, sourcing new technology to the diamond centers across the state and permitting consignment importations of diamonds for testing and grading at the Indian Diamond Institute (IDI).
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