Belgium’s polished diamond exports fell 19 percent year on year to $1.331 billion in ‎September, the Antwerp World Diamond Council (AWDC) reported. By volume, the ‎exports declined 16 percent to 617,783 carats as the average price of the goods dropped ‎‎4 percent to $2,155 per carat.‎

Polished imports to Belgium fell 23 percent to $1.179 billion during the month and the ‎country’s net polished exports, representing exports less imports, grew 38 percent to ‎‎$152.18 million.‎

Belgium’s rough imports rose 5 percent to $1.074 billion in September and its rough ‎exports increased 8 percent to $1.146 billion. Net rough imports, representing imports ‎less exports, fell to a deficit of $72.36 million from a deficit of $32.39 million a year ‎earlier.‎

Belgium’s September net diamond account, which is the total exports of polished and ‎rough less total imports, grew 57 percent to $224.54 million.‎

During the first nine months of the year, Belgium’s polished exports fell 10 percent to ‎‎$10.003 billion, while its polished imports declined 5 percent to $10.025 billion. Rough ‎imports dropped 15 percent to $9.060 billion and rough exports declined 13 percent to ‎‎$9.836 billion. ‎

Belgium’s net diamond account for the period January through September rose 31 ‎percent to $753.74 million. ‎