Industry Promotion

Artisans are the faces of the Diamond industry. Without them, a diamond is just a piece of stone.

With a vision improve the sustainability and security of local artisans in the diamond industry, SDA has undertaken a project called “Empower ID” in association with the Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC).

The Empower ID Program is the first step towards organizing the highly unorganized SME sector of the local diamond industry. The program aims to gather an inclusive database of the 700,000 artisans associated with the Surat diamond industry. Upon completion of the database, SDA plans to approach the State and Central Governments about programs that will improve the welfare of the artisans in sectors such as health, education and more.

Surat Diamond Association and the Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council with the support of the District Industries Centre organized a Seminar at the Indian Diamond Institute on September 25th, 2010.

The aim of the seminar was to get more diamond businesses legalized by the government authority under the appropriate category.

The guest speakers at the seminar, Mr. Dhaval Parikh – General Manager, District Industries Centre Surat—explained the benefits of registration and the importance of the actions of each individual organization to organize the unorganized sector. For example, programs in the District Industry Centre (DIC) enable manufacturers to maximize their profit earning while lowering their risk in starting a new business. As a result of this seminar, a number of firms became aware of the benefits of appropriately registering their businesses and implemented the official registration processes with the
guidance of the SDA.

In order to benefit the diamond manufacturing units located in Jhankhvav, near Mandvi, SDA organized a Gem and Jewellery Industry Awareness Seminar on October 3rd, 2012. The Seminar’s purpose was to spread awareness among local industry players regarding government subsidies and incentives provided by the District Industry Centre (DIC), Surat. The guest speaker, Mr. Samir Joshi, Director of IDI, Surat, outlined the current condition of the local diamond industry and how the industry can reach its full
potential in the near future. Using detailed statistical analysis, Mr.Joshi presented the increasing demands for manpower in the industry in the fields of designing, polishing, grading, and manufacturing.

The Diamond Tools and Tech Trade Fair was organized specifically for showcasing the technology and the services available to the local Gem & Jewellery Industry. The aim of the Fair was to introduce the latest technology in the Gem and Jewellery manufacturing industry to the players of the local SME sector. The exhibition had over 60 exhibitors and was arranged in a large dome covering an area of 1600 square metres. Some of the main attractions of the exhibition included:

• A display of a single 170 carat rough stone
• A live demonstration of polishing an 85-carat rough diamond
• The launch of the website for the Surat Diamond Association by Hon’ble Minister of State for Tribal Affairs, Government of India, Mr. Tushar Chaudhary.

Apart from promoting the local diamond industry, SDA also arranges seminars that provide vital information on doing business in various countries of the world. For instance, in October 2009, SDA and Global Network organized a seminar to provide information about doing business in Canada. In addition to the industry leaders, government representatives from Manitoba, Canada as well as immigration consultants were present in the seminar to provide information about legal procedures. A similar seminar was organized with German counsel to spread awareness about doing business globally.

In order to discuss the issue of trading and foreign exchange hedging, a formal meeting was organized at Hotel Taj Gateway on September 30th 2010 with the support of ICICI Bank, Surat. Over 100 diamond industry players attended this seminar. The seminar provided information about foreign exchange hedging in simple steps.

On February 17th, 2011, SDA held an informative seminar to promote the local jewellery industry in alliance with DIC, Surat . Mr. Savjibhai Dholakiya from Hare Krishna Export identified the great potential of the local Surat diamond industry thorough expansion along the diamond value chain by getting involved in jewellery manufacturing. Mr. Agam Sanghvi, Director of IDI highlighted the effective use of branding of diamonds and diamond jewellery. Mr. Tushar Choksi shared his views on retail marketing and how to exceed consumer expectations. Mr. Samir Joshi from IDI introduced the latest technology available to the local jewellery manufacturing sector.

After the recession of 2009, the Surat diamond industry was badly affected by the scarcity of its most important resources, the “Artisans”. To fulfill the labour shortage, SDA organized seminars in many parts of Gujarat. One of the seminars was organized in the Tribal area of Dang in North Gujarat to provide people with information about the job opportunities in the diamond industry.