Belgium's polished diamond exports in April 2011 increased 28.8% by volume and 45% by value over April 2010, according to figures published by the Antwerp World Diamond Centre.

The country's polished diamond exports for April totaled $1.01 billion, while its polished exports for January-April 2011 rose 29.8% by volume to 3.02 million carats and 33.2% by value ($4.44 billion) compared to the corresponding period of 2010.

April saw rough diamond exports drop 32.3% by volume to 7.07 million carats, but nevertheless the country's rough exports rose 26.4% by value to total $1.13 billion – a number that underscores the strong global demand for rough product. Rough exports for the first four months of 2011 stood at 41.2 million carats with a total value of $4.65 billion – a 9% drop in volume but a 28.4% increase in value.

Belgium's polished diamond imports were also up for the month, standing at 668,576 carats worth $1 billion. Polished imports for January-April 2011 totaled 3.1 million carats, an increase of 19.3% by volume and $4.21 billion by value over the corresponding period of 2010.

Rough imports dropped by both volume and value in April, totaling 7.01 million carats worth $857.3 million.