Diamond Exporters from India were largely affected during the Covid-19 Lockdown, factory shutdowns, migration of laborers, physical shows got cancelled, delays in shipment, despite all these hurdles they managed a feat as Diamond exports from India showed a strong growth while Gold Jewellery exports showed a decline.

Cut and Polished diamond exports have registered a growth of 24.46% to Rs. 14512.11 Crore in June 2021 as compared to Rs. 11660.29 Crore in June 2019.

Big Role of Technology

As a way to manage their business in the lockdown they understood the need to change their old ways and resort to technology in a big way and this turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

• Holding Virtual Shows - The physical shows showing exhibitions of various diamond jewellery and new designs was a key to attract foreign buyers , but cancellation of physical shows was a big hurdle for diamond exporters, but they overcame this by setting up virtual shows and exhibition.
• Virtual Buyer Seller Meet - Most of the businesses in Diamond Industry happened through physical meets but the travel ban induced during the covid- 19 led to people  to adapt and move towards virtual ways like Zoom Call, Email and WhatsApp. They made sure to attend and always be available for their customers through these mediums. They showed them the latest offerings and sent them brochures, explaining the product details over email and Whatsapp. As a result, they were able to get a lot of orders
• Doing Business through Website –  For organized players their website helped them gain new clients and they were able to meet their clients expectations by asking for regular feedback from their customers,

Use of Lockdown to Drive Innovation and improvement product -

The Industry used the free time and the lockdown to think of new ideas and design. Their belief was that they would emerge even stronger. The industry focused  on how the business can help create a smoother chain and faster .  

Avoiding Delays in Shipments

The industry initially faced a lot of problems as planes were cancelled due to Covid but they have learned some lessons and now to avoid delay in shipments they plan in advance about logistics to avoid delay in shipments, they keep check on government circulars regarding their product line so they can offer timely delivery to their customers. If the shipment is going to get delayed the company in advance informs the clients regarding the same and explains them the conditions that might cause the delay.

Other problems like migration of labourers were solved by hiring local crafts men., this way the Diamond Industry was able to shine and increase their exports overcoming all the hurdles caused by the pandemic.