Opening of hallmarking centres across districts will make Kerala the most reliable hub of gold business: Treasurer S Abdul Nazar. 

With the inauguration of a hallmarking centre in Idukki, Kerala became the first state in India to have hallmarking centres in all 14 districts.

The opening of hallmarking centres across the districts will make Kerala a hub of gold business and further strengthen its claim to being the most reliable market in the country to buy gold ornaments, said S Abdul Nazar, Treasurer, All Kerala Gold and Silver Merchants’ Association.

Quoting 2022 data, he said the gold business in Kerala is worth more than ₹1 lakh crore with annual sales of around 250 tonnes. There are about 12,000 gold merchants in the State with majority holding BIS registration. Though BIS hallmarking was applicable only to pieces above 2 grams in weight, gold merchants gave hallmarking and hallmarking unique identification numbers even for pieces with weight below two grams, he said.