Gems and jewellery exports rose 29.67 per cent to Rs 23,259.55 crore in September 2021 compared with Rs 17,936.86 crore in the year-ago month, according to the Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC).

In September 2019, the shipments were worth Rs 23,491.20 crore.

For the April-September period, the shipments surged 134.55 per cent to Rs 1,40,412.94 crore compared with the same period in 2020.

The overall gems and jewellery exports stood at Rs 59,864.55 crore during April to September 2020, following Covid related disruptions, GJEPC said on Saturday.

In 2019, the overall gems and jewellery exports were at Rs 1,26,461.93 crore during April to September.

“With Rs 140,412.94 crore ($18.98 billion) exports during April-September, the sector has already achieved nearly half (46 per cent) of the $41.66 billion exports target set by the government for the sector. The sentiment in the industry is incredibly positive with markets opening up and demand gradually returning to normal,” GJEPC chairman Colin Shah said.

Moreover, with the festive season coming up, GJEPC is optimistic of achieving the export target by the end of the financial year, he added.

During April-September 2021, cut and polished diamond exports grew 122.62 per cent to Rs 91,489.2 crore compared with Rs 41,095.83 crore in the same period of 2020.