India’s Long-Term Export Vision under Ministry of Commerce & Industry (MoC&I) and Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC)

India’s gems and jewellery industry has set a landmark export ambition — scaling annual exports from the current ~US$38 billion level to US$100 billion by the year 2047, which coincides with the 100th year of India’s Independence. This roadmap forms part of the Ministry of Commerce & Industry’s strategic “Vision @2047” framework and is being operationally driven and executed through the Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC). As a sharper intermediate checkpoint — the industry also aims to touch US$75 billion in exports by 2030, implying rapid acceleration in the current decade.

Value-Led Growth Will Drive the Upscaling

GJEPC emphasises that the next wave of export growth will not simply depend on higher output volumes — but on higher margin value capture. This means shifting from commodity-style transformation to design and brand-led engineering. The focus now includes premium-segment jewellery, couture collections, branded exports, lab-grown diamond (LGD) scale-up, and IP-driven jewellery design. The transition mirrors premiumisation trends seen in global luxury apparel, high-end ceramics and premium watch categories — where design & brand equity drive the economic multiplier, not just cutting, polishing or metal weight.

Strategic Interventions Required for the Scale-Up

To reach the US$100B mark, the GJEPC has identified six strategic pillars: strengthening domestic manufacturing capability, improving retail channel sophistication, unlocking opportunity segments such as platinum & lab-grown diamonds, deepening ease-of-doing-business reforms to match hubs like UAE & Belgium, diversifying export markets beyond US/Hong Kong/UAE concentration, and leveraging FTAs and cross-border e-commerce for faster global retail penetration. This will require modern factories, CAD-led designers, faster documentation systems, and supply chains that can execute like global luxury hubs — not just low-cost manufacturing countries.

Policy Alignment & Government Support in Motion

The Central Government has already started aligning policy levers that support this roadmap: customs duty corrections for certain raw material lines, progress toward specialised gems & jewellery industrial parks, and active trade negotiations with markets such as UAE and EFTA bloc countries. The “Brand India Jewellery” positioning is also being pushed, with a view to create global recall, credibility and premium identity — instead of being seen only as a cutting/polishing outsourcing destination.

Regulatory Compliance Will Become the Next Competitive Edge

Sector leaders say the next phase of competitiveness will be defined not by labour arbitrage, but by compliance capability. Global buyers increasingly require ESG scoring, origin traceability, conflict-free sourcing certification, and even blockchain-based serialisation of stones. These have shifted from “optional” to “mandatory.” India’s ability to deliver regulatory transparency at speed and at cost will influence whether it becomes a value-centre or remains a volume-centre.

Who Benefits If the Vision Plays Out

If the industry transitions successfully into a high-design, high-brand value capture model, the benefits will be spread across the ecosystem — including precious metal refiners, diamond cutting & polishing clusters, CAD design studios, automated jewellery machinery suppliers, gem certification labs, and advanced jewellery manufacturing institutes. Analysts note that India already has scale — what it must now demonstrate is originality. To hit US$100B — India must become a design IP creator — not just a contract transformer.