Nagpur: No diamond trader has shifted base from Mumbai to Surat as is being alleged by the Opposition , deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Wednesday. He asserted that the opposition allegations that the diamond trade has shifted to Surat in Gujarat is baseless and false. Mumbai remains the largest hub for diamond exports in the country , he added.
Responding to the concluding week motion moved by the opposition in the state Legislative Assembly, the deputy chief minister said diamond trade had its presence in Surat right from the old times when Chhtrapati Shivaji Maharaj ruled that region during Maratha kingdom. The diamond bourse has existed in Surat since 2013 and it recently expanded to a new building.
Fadnavis said that during the corona pandemic , the Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA government had refused to give permission to diamond traders in Mumbai for export and the diamond market remained closed for eight months, causing financial strains to the diamond merchants.
However, the present government has given land in Mumbai to develop new Gems and Jewellery Park which will boost diamond trade in coming days.
Mumbai: The diamond export hub
He said that out of $38 billion diamond export from the country, 75 % takes place from Mumbai while only 12 % happens from Surat which shows that Mumbai remains the biggest trade centre for diamond in the country.
He maintained that no trader from Mumbai has shifted to Surat. On the other hand, diamond trade is flourishing in Mumbai and India which has emerged as number one in surpassing Belgium.
