2005
Israel's Polished Exports Rise in February
April 2005
Israel’s Polished Exports Rise in February - April.2005Israel's polished diamond exports rose in February Net polished diamond exports rose 10.7% in Feb. 2005 to reach $661.6 million, compared to $597.6 million in Feb. 2004. Since the beginning of the year, polished exports rose 11.2%, from $1.182 billion in 2004, to $1.314 billion in 2005. Net imports of rough diamonds declined by 19.9% in February, totaling $393.9 million, as compared to $491.6 million in Feb. 2004. Since the beginning of the year rough diamond imports decreased by 7.6%, from $889 million in 2004 to $821.8 million in 2005. Rough diamond exports from Israel continued to rise, increasing 5% in February to reach $298.7 million, compared to $284.4 million in the same month last year. Israel's imports of polished diamonds increased 17.93% in February 2005 to reach $320.8 million, as compared to $272.1 million in 2004. For the first two months of the year imports of polished diamonds rose 15.5% to $552.1 million, compared to $478.0 million in the same period in 2004. The February figures point to a continued growth in demand for Israeli polished diamonds, as well as a reduction in the quantity of rough diamonds entering the country. Achieving a steady supply of rough diamonds is one of the industry's major challenges, officials say. |




