The Hyderabad Jewellery, Pearl and Gem Fair (HJF), organized between 7th & 9th June, 2013 by UBM India ended with a satisfactory success note as expected. As we had mentioned two weeks back here that the prices of the gold in June still remained quite low in comparison with March 2013 and with demand increasing very fast. So mood of the organizers and participants of the HJF was quite jubilant because growth in jewellery demand in 1st quarter of 2013 and subsequent huge fall in gold prices had set a perfect atmosphere for the success of HJF. The 6th edition of the Fair was inaugurated by India's Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Dr. Daggubati Purandeswari in presence of Mr. Joji George, Manging Director, UBM India, Ms. Kranti Nagvekar, Group Director of UBM and other dignitaries from the jewellery trade. From L to R - Mr.Sanjay Gulabani, P Mangataram, Dr.Daggubati Purandeswari, Union Minister of State for Commerce & Industry, Govt. of India, Mr.Boorugu Mahabaleshwar Rao, President, AP Bullion Importers Association, Mr.Joji George, Managing Director, UBM India, Mr. Surya Prakash Rao, President, AP Gold Silver Jewellery & Diamond Merchants Association, & Ms. Kranti Nagvekar, Group Director, Jewellery Portfolio, UBM India. Inaugurating the Fair, Dr. Daggubati Purandeswari, said, "I am glad to learn that focus of organizers of the HJF is on manufacturing and the latest advents in the fields of jewellery manufacturing. Time is now ripe for the stalwarts of jewellery industry (and also the concerned governments) to adopt the latest advancements in technology to keep pace with the growing world standards."
"At the same time trade fair organizers like UBM should focus on Tier-II and III cities to enhance the growth rate. Andhra Pradesh government should be proactive in setting up infrastructure facilities like establishing modern convention centres in Tier-II and III cities to facilitate such events to promote the business," she added. Taking cognizance of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)'s recent steps to curb gold imports, the minister said, "Various Gold and Jewellery Trade Associations have submitted a memorandum to me requesting to relax the curbs. I will surely represent the issue with the Union Finance Ministry," she said. Evaluating performance of the Fair, Ms. Kranti said, "I am quite happy to note here that the show has grown by 25% in comparison with last year when we had about 110 exhibitors while we have about 140 participants this year. Of course, the show was a combination of B2C & B2B for the first three years. Now it is B2B since last three years. We are targeting to achieve a higher growth rate hence forth."
Talking about exhibitors' satisfaction, Ms. Kranti said, "Every exhibitor whom I personally talked to is quite happy with the trade inquiry he has received and he is willing to participate in the show in future also. Although we don't have international pavilions here at HJF as our dates are clashing with Hong Kong show but we intend to take a team of Indian jewellery manufacturers to showcase their designs at about fourteen international jewellery fairs we are organizing. The increasing demand for Indian jewellery could provide abundant opportunities for the Indian manufacturers in 2013 and 2014," she added. Talking about the special feature of the fair, Ms. Kranti said, "HJF 2013 is a gateway to the Indian jewellery market and provides an excellent platform for buyers and suppliers to connect, network, exchange ideas, discover upcoming trends and generate business opportunities. At the three day fair, the exhibitors had an opportunity to present a wide spectrum of merchandise including diamonds, pearls, gemstones, exquisite gold jewellery, latest machinery and equipments used in the manufacturing process and other related product and services."
