Thailand : Precious stone unlikely to meet export target of 20%

Sluggish economy in the US and strengthening of baht has adversely affected the precious stone industry. Experts believe that the industry will most likely fail to meet the set export target growth of 20 percent for this year.
Infact, calculations reveal that the precious stone exports will surge only about 10 percent.
Department of Export Promotion (DEP) predicts the precious stone export value to touch around US $4 billion or Bt140 billion this year, which is not much higher than $3.6 billion earned last year.
Officials say that exports to emerging markets like India, Russia, Eastern Europe and China should be expanded.
Several enterprises are recognizing joint venture opportunities in theses countries, especially in India.