Tariff edge alone won’t rewrite Botswana’s diamond fortunes – Dr. Jefferis

Sunday Standard Tariff edge alone won’t rewrite Botswana’s diamond fortunes – Dr. Jefferis Botswana’s newly secured duty-free access to the United States offers a competitive advantage over India’s diamond exports, which now face a 10% U.S. tariff, but a top economist says the shift is unlikely to dramatically alter the global diamond trade. While the tariff differential could encourage some high-value diamond processing to move to Botswana, the […] The post Tariff edge alone won’t rewrite Botswana’s diamond fortunes – Dr. Jefferis first appeared on Sunday Standard and is written by Sunday Standard Reporter

Aug 3, 2026 - 11:25

Sunday Standard

Tariff edge alone won’t rewrite Botswana’s diamond fortunes – Dr. Jefferis

Botswana’s newly secured duty-free access to the United States offers a competitive advantage over India’s diamond exports, which now face a 10% U.S. tariff, but a top economist says the shift is unlikely to dramatically alter the global diamond trade.

While the tariff differential could encourage some high-value diamond processing to move to Botswana, the country’s higher production costs and structural bottlenecks mean India is expected to retain its dominant position in the global cutting and polishing industry.

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