The Hindu Business Line : Gem trade losing sheen on lack of Govt support

Coimbatore, Nov. 5 Tamil Nadu may be considered a treasure trove in gemstones, but this could become history if the potential is not tapped, say gem (stone) traders in the Kangeyam area.

Displaying his collection of gems which include sapphire, acquamarine, moonstone, amethyst and crystals, Mr K.S. Abdul Samath, Managing Director, Aameena Mines and Minerals, told Business Line that the gem trade was losing its sheen as the traders were unable to get Government support for mining.

According to him, there were over 5,000 units dealing in precious, semi precious and synthetic gems in Kangeyam alone till about a decade ago. The number has dwindled to less than 50 units now.

“We did not have to resort to in-depth mining. The uncut, coloured pebbles were simply strewn in farmlands and farmers exchange these stones at the weekly shandy. It is still happening, albeit in a small way,” says Mr Samath.

“The entire belt stretching to over 100 km radius is a water starved, rocky region. When farmers plough their fields or graze cattle, they invariably come across such coloured pebbles,” he said holding a potato-sized blueish-green stone.

While a medium sized clear stone could fetch a good return of around Rs 5,000, depending on the quality, the opaque stone is not considered that valuable.

“Generations ago, when land used to be partitioned within the family, the rocky land was generally kept out of the deal,” he said recalling partition agreements.

He attributes the depletion of such findings to lack of rain and use of power tillers to plough fields.

According to him, the Government should legalise mining and support the trade by initiating a systematic and scientific approach to mining the abundant resource. “It would attract huge forex earnings for the country, has employment generation potential, could uplift the economy of the region and help tap the untapped resource,” he said.

Apart from Kangeyam, huge deposits of such precious and semi precious stones are being harvested from the rocky areas around Karur, Chennimalai, Chinna Dharapuram, Namakkal and Tiruchengode in this belt, he added.

Mr Samath said there were over 80 varieties of the natural gems in the area. “We get quality blue and green acquamarine stones, moonstone in different shades such as white, orange, grey and black, apart from Spadikam crystals. There is huge demand particularly from Thailand, Hong Kong, Brazil and Japan. Foreigners frequent this region, but we are unable to supply, because of the restriction in mining,” he said.

More Stories on : Gems & Jewellery | Tamil Nadu | Outlook

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