Given that Thailand, the well-known gem and jewellery hub in the region, no longer mines gems in significant quantities, Sri Lanka can serve as a hub for trade in gems and jewellery, according to Viraj de Silva, chairman and CEO of the National Gem and Jewellery Authority (NGJA).
Thailand is a trading hub today. They trade there after obtaining gems from other nations. In Ratnapura, we have opened an international trading centre. Some regions of the nation have multiple gem trading fairs, but these areas are not trading hubs that can draw in foreign buyers.
“Sri Lanka wants to be like Thailand in terms of gem trading”
Every month, about 200,000 tourists visit Sri Lanka, and many of them frequent the gem and jewellery stores found in the nation’s tourist areas.
In the past, these visitors were allowed to purchase jewellery and gems for up to $15,000 and remove them without alerting the NGJA.We have begun contacting these stores this year in order to determine the value of the jewels and jewellery that visitors have bought. These will also be included starting in 2024 when determining the revenue from exports of gems and jewellery, he stated.
