India's gold imports in 2024 could fall by nearly a fifth from the previous year, as record high prices spur retail consumers to exchange old jewellery for new items, the head of an industry body told Reuters. Lower imports by India, the world's second biggest consumer of the precious metal, could cap a rally that carried global prices to a record this week. "Affordability is severely affected by the rapid price increase," said Prithviraj Kothari, president of the India Bullion and Jewellers Association (IBJA).