{"id":38002,"date":"2026-09-01T16:35:02","date_gmt":"2026-09-01T11:05:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gjepc.org\/solitaire\/?p=38002"},"modified":"2026-09-01T16:43:15","modified_gmt":"2026-09-01T11:13:15","slug":"dgft-dg-shri-lav-agarwal-calls-for-mission-mode-push-to-take-indias-jewellery-exports-to-us100-billion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gjepc.org\/solitaire\/dgft-dg-shri-lav-agarwal-calls-for-mission-mode-push-to-take-indias-jewellery-exports-to-us100-billion\/","title":{"rendered":"DGFT DG Shri Lav Agarwal Calls for Mission-Mode Push to Take India\u2019s Jewellery Exports to US$100 Billion"},"content":{"rendered":"

India\u2019s gems and jewellery industry needs to move beyond incremental growth, increase the number of exporters and capture a larger share of the value created by global jewellery brands, according to Shri<\/strong> Lav Agarwal, Director General, Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT)<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Speaking at the Chintan Shivir on the 2040 Roadmap for Gems & Jewellery, organised by the Department of Commerce in association with the Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) on 19 August in Mumbai, Shri Agarwal called for a clear, time-bound implementation framework to achieve the industry\u2019s ambition of US$100 billion in exports by 2040.<\/p>\n

Shri Agarwal, who had been in the Department of Commerce for seven months at the time of the address, said he approached the Chintan Shivir primarily as a learner. He said the format offered government an opportunity to step outside its regular processes, engage directly with stakeholders and develop a more convergent approach to policy.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Shri Agarwal felicitated by Shri Kirit Bhansali, Chairman, GJEPC and Shri Shaunak Parikh, Vice Chairman, GJEPC.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

From volume to value<\/strong><\/p>\n

Shri Agarwal pointed to the scale of the global opportunity. He estimated global gems and jewellery trade at around US$1 trillion, with approximately US$700 billion linked to the upstream mining sector and around US$320 billion in intermediate and value-added trade.<\/p>\n

Against this backdrop, India\u2019s approximately US$28 billion in exports represents about 6.25% of the intermediate trade, he said. For Shri Agarwal, the figure demonstrates the scope for expansion rather than the limits of the sector.<\/p>\n

He placed particular emphasis on moving higher up the value chain. India has a strong position in manufacturing and processing, but needs to build greater strength in branding, design and value-added products.<\/p>\n

\u201cCan we actually establish ourselves not as commodity but as a brand?\u201d he asked, arguing that Indian companies need to capture more of the value currently retained by established international jewellery brands.<\/p>\n

He cited brands such as Cartier and Tiffany & Co. as examples of how positioning can influence the value assigned to a product. The opportunity for Indian jewellery, he suggested, lies in combining the country\u2019s manufacturing capabilities with stronger branding and positioning to create globally recognised Indian jewellery brands.<\/p>\n

A sharper implementation framework<\/strong><\/p>\n

Shri Agarwal said the US$100 billion target needs to be translated into specific tasks, responsibilities, timelines and measurable outcomes.<\/p>\n

The roadmap, he argued, should clearly establish what needs to be done, who is responsible, by when it should be completed and how progress will be monitored. Government, industry and other stakeholders should each have defined responsibilities, with intermediate benchmarks to ensure that the long-term target remains actionable.<\/p>\n

He described gems and jewellery as a sector where \u201ceasy wins\u201d could be possible because India already has an established industry and global recognition. The task now is to convert that existing strength into greater value and market share.<\/p>\n

Shri Agarwal also urged GJEPC and industry stakeholders to develop a mechanism to monitor implementation after the Chintan Shivir, stressing that discussion alone would not be sufficient.<\/p>\n

Building an Indian jewellery brand<\/strong><\/p>\n

Brand building emerged as one of his key priorities. Shri Agarwal said the government\u2019s national \u2018Brand India\u2019 initiative and sector-specific branding programmes could offer opportunities for gems and jewellery, including the concept of \u201cCrafted in India\u201d as a potential positioning platform.<\/p>\n

He also pointed to existing export promotion measures, including market access and warehousing schemes, and urged GJEPC to make greater use of these programmes. Where schemes do not adequately address the sector\u2019s requirements, he said, the industry should identify the gaps and seek changes.<\/p>\n

Shri Agarwal further suggested developing standard operating procedures and a trust mark around quality and standards, potentially supported by cluster-level infrastructure such as certification and design laboratories.<\/p>\n

The approach, he said, could be applied across established jewellery centres, with clusters such as Surat and Jaipur developing the capabilities needed to strengthen their position in global markets.<\/p>\n

From FTAs to Exports<\/strong><\/p>\n

Shri Agarwal also highlighted the need to convert trade agreements into actual market access.<\/p>\n

Referring to the India-UK Free Trade Agreement, he said government officials had held numerous discussions with their UK counterparts, but there had been limited engagement from exporters on the specific concerns they faced in accessing the UK market.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

His message was direct: an FTA is only an intention until businesses use it.<\/p>\n

He called on GJEPC and government to develop a defined plan for using FTAs to enter new markets, while looking beyond India\u2019s traditional destinations. Market access programmes, he said, should be used more strategically to establish Indian brands and products overseas.<\/p>\n

10,000 Exporters as an Interim Target<\/strong><\/p>\n

Shri Agarwal proposed increasing India\u2019s number of gems and jewellery exporters from around 4,000 to 10,000, including e-commerce-led businesses.<\/p>\n

He suggested that the industry should segment exporters according to their scale and address their individual barriers to growth. Larger exporters could be supported in expanding their turnover and building brands, while mid-sized companies could receive targeted assistance to scale up. Businesses that hold Importer Exporter Codes but are currently inactive could also be studied to understand the barriers preventing them from entering or expanding in international trade.<\/p>\n

He identified two simple KPIs for the sector: growth in exports, both in volume and value, and growth in the number of exporters.<\/p>\n

Expanding Beyond Established Centres<\/strong><\/p>\n

Shri Agarwal also called for a broader exporter ecosystem across India. Established centres such as Surat and Jaipur could continue to expand, while other potential clusters could be brought into the export network through training, orientation and support.<\/p>\n

E-commerce, he said, could provide a route for new exporters to enter international markets without relying solely on traditional distribution structures.<\/p>\n

The objective should be to develop a pipeline in which existing exporters become larger exporters, vendors develop into exporters and new businesses enter the global market.<\/p>\n

For Shri Agarwal, the larger ambition is clear: India should increasingly be recognised as a source of jewellery brands, design and value addition, rather than primarily as a participant in the trade.<\/p>\n

The US$100 billion target, he stressed, will require sustained execution. \u201cAction and delivery matters,\u201d he said, underlining the need to move from intention to implementation and maintain a mission-mode approach to the sector\u2019s growth.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

India\u2019s gems and jewellery industry needs to move beyond incremental growth, increase the number of exporters and capture a larger share of the value created by global jewellery brands, according to Shri Lav Agarwal, Director General, Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT). Speaking at the Chintan Shivir on the 2040 Roadmap for Gems & Jewellery,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":38003,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[100,90],"tags":[],"thb-sponsors":[],"class_list":["post-38002","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-in-focus","category-policy"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nDGFT DG Shri Lav Agarwal Calls for Mission-Mode Push to Take India\u2019s Jewellery Exports to US$100 Billion - Solitaire magazine is a International jewellery magazine - India\u2019s leading B2B gem and jewellery magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow\" \/>\n<meta name=\"googlebot\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta name=\"bingbot\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/gjepc.org\/solitaire\/dgft-dg-shri-lav-agarwal-calls-for-mission-mode-push-to-take-indias-jewellery-exports-to-us100-billion\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"DGFT DG Shri Lav Agarwal Calls for Mission-Mode Push to Take India\u2019s Jewellery Exports to US$100 Billion - Solitaire magazine is a International jewellery magazine - India\u2019s leading B2B gem and jewellery magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"India\u2019s gems and jewellery industry needs to move beyond incremental growth, increase the number of exporters and capture a larger share of the value created by global jewellery brands, according to Shri Lav Agarwal, Director General, Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT). 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