For Belgium, polished diamond trade has seen a massive fall during March 2009. Exports of polished goods were down by 33 percent amounting to $712.8 million, while imports slipped down by 36 percent to $718.4 million. %% The import of roughs fell by 50 percent to $446.2 million, and exports by 52 percent to $440.1 million. This brought the country’s net diamond account (total exports and total imports) for the said month, into a deficit of $11.6 million, which although has increased from the $21.1 million deficit in the same month last year. %% In the first quarter of 2008, the exports of polished diamonds had fallen by 36 percent to $2 billion and imports by 37 percent to $1.9 billion. In the same period, rough imports were less by 59 percent to $1.2 billion and exports by 65 percent to $1.1 billion.