India-Belgium diamond partnership key to global value chain: Commerce Secretary
India and Belgium share deep-rooted linkages in the global diamond value chain, Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said on Sunday during an interaction with representatives of the diamond industry in Brussels, while discussing evolving market trends and the outlook for the international diamond trade.
During the meeting, Agrawal discussed the current state of the international diamond market with industry stakeholders and sought feedback on opportunities and challenges facing the trade.
"Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal, had an informal interaction with representatives of the diamond industry at the Embassy of India Brussels on 30 Oct 2026," the Department of Commerce said.
The Commerce Secretary also highlighted the long-standing partnership between India and Belgium in the diamond value chain. He noted that the two countries have maintained strong commercial ties in the sector over the years, with India playing a key role in diamond cutting and polishing, while Belgium remains an important global trading hub for precious stones.
The interaction focused on strengthening industry engagement and understanding market dynamics amid changing global demand patterns. Industry representatives shared their perspectives on trade trends, business prospects and developments in key markets.
"He exchanged views with industry members on global diamond trade, emerging market trends, and highlighted the long-standing India-Belgium linkages in the diamond value chain," it stated.
Meanwhile, eatlier this week, the Commerce Ministry said that India, Belgium and Luxembourg have agreed to strengthen economic ties and explore opportunities to deepen cooperation in aerospace, research, innovation and higher education.
The 19th session of the India-Belgium-Luxembourg Economic Union (BLEU) Joint Economic Commission (JEC) was held in Luxembourg.
The meeting provided a platform for India, Belgium and Luxembourg to review bilateral trade and investment relations and discuss opportunities to further strengthen economic cooperation across key sectors, the statement said.
The discussions covered a broad range of priority sectors, including logistics, with a focus on air connectivity and ports, renewable energy and clean technology, financial services and FinTech, digital transformation and information and communication technology (ICT), healthcare and life sciences, Ayurveda and traditional medicine, and the agro and food processing industry.
