India needs more world-class gold refineries to attract FDI: Experts

According to industry experts, stress should be laid on the need to allow foreign direct investment in the jewellery sector

Indian household, which has total holding of around 25,000 tonnes of gold, needs more gold refineries for monetising and attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) in the sector, according to industry experts.

"India's households have a total holding of around 25,000 tonnes of gold which needs to be monetised. Even if we target one per cent of gold for monetising, the quantity will come to around 250 tonnes which MMTC-PAMP cannot handle alone. Therefore, we need to have more world-class refineries through FDI investment in India," MMTC-PAMP managing director Rajesh Khosla said at the two-day seminar organised by the India Bullion and Jewellers Association (IBJA) here.

MMTC-PAMP is the first and the only London Bullion Markets Association accredited gold and silver refinery in the country. A joint venture between state-owned MMTC and Switzerland-based PAMP SA, has set up its refinery near Gurgaon.

Khosla stressed on the need to allow foreign direct investment (FDI) in the jewellery sector. He also supported the call for FDI in all value chains, including jewellery retailing.

India continues to be a major consumer of gold, often importing around 600 to 900 tonnes per annum, which is roughly 25 per cent of the global annual production of bullion. The raw materials for the industry is obtained from the recycling of old jewellery supplied by the jewellery shops as well as the gold loan agencies disposing of their defaulters accounts.

This refining of domestic scrap is undertaken by the medium and large scale gold refineries operating in the organised sector, as well as the hundreds of smaller refineries operating in the unorganised sector.

"Transporting temple gold from the South to Mumbai or Delhi is only through sea route. Hence, to avoid the risk of transportation, the gold should be refined locally for which refineries should be established there. There is no hurdle in FDI in retail. One can start a business through FDI directly," Gitanjali Gems managing director Mehul Choksi said.