BEIJING China's gold consumption in the first half of 2024 (1H2024) fell by 5.61% from the same year-ago period, data from the Gold Association showed on Sunday (July 28), as high prices curbed purchases of gold jewellery.

The world's largest gold user consumed 523.75 metric tonnes of the precious metal during the January to June period.

Buying of gold jewellery, 51.6% of the total consumption, tumbled by 26.68% from the year before to 270.02 tonnes from January to June.

"High gold prices have increased the operational risk for gold processing and sales enterprises," the Gold Association said in a statement on its website.

"Purchase from wholesale and retail enterprises declined, and the processing volumes of jewellery also significantly decreased."

The most-traded gold futures contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange climbed by 21.7% to a record high at 588.28 yuan (US$81.11) a gramme on April 15. The contract posted a rise of 14.1% in the first half.

High prices also dampened the central bank's appetite for bullion, with China refraining from gold purchase for a second straight month in June, when its gold reserve totalled 2,264.33 tonnes.

Purchasing of gold bars and coins, however, surged by 46.02% to 213.64 tonnes over the same period, or 40.8% of the total, as the safe-haven assets gained renewed favour among investors, amid persistent geopolitical conflicts and the weak global economic recovery.

China's gold output made of domestically produced raw materials rose by 0.58% from the year before, to 179.63 tonnes in the first half.

"The output increase missed expectations because the easily mined resources in old mines gradually reduced, while the construction of new mines faced problems," it said.

"Also, some miners scaled down or shut down production amid increasingly stringent environmental and safety requirements."

Output of gold from imported raw materials rose 10.14% to 72.03 tonnes, bringing the total gold output in China in the first half of the year to 251.66 tonnes, an increase of 3.14% year-on-year.