The State-owned Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company (ZCDC) is set to boost its output this year by 30% to 3 million carats due to improved mining methods.
Bloomberg quoted company chief executive Mark Mabhudhu as saying that their operations in Marange had been meeting monthly targets of 200,000 carats.
ZCDC produced 2.3 million carats last year and these were mainly shipped to India and the Middle East.
The improvement in output comes after recent reports that the company reportedly lost the Portal B, a diamond-rich zone in Marange to the Chinese partly-owned Anjin.
Meanwhile, Mabhudhu said that ZCDC is concluding a joint venture agreement with Russian diamond miner ALROSA.
He said the deal was expected to be concluded by the end of the year.
“It’s progressing very well,” Mabhudu said.
ALROSA Zimbabwe, which holds 25 prospecting concessions and is eyeing 15 more, commenced preliminary exploration work last year for commercially viable primary diamond deposits in Zimbabwe.
Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished
Exclusive
Ellah Muchemwa: ADPA to launch Africa's first diamond mining standard next year
The African Diamond Producers Association (ADPA), which is based in Luanda, Angola, and represents the interests of mainly African diamond producers and those with the potential to produce diamonds, will next year launch the Sustainable Development...
04 november 2024
Dmitry Fedorov: I want our jewelry to be displayed at a museum in the future
Dmitry Fedorov is the founder of the eponymous jewelry house. His main focus is the creation of Orthodox-inspired premium luxury jewelry of high artistic merit. He told Rough&Polished about his journey in the jewelry industry, about choosing the ‘Orthodox...
28 october 2024
Responsible business practices ‘no longer optional’, says WDC President Feriel Zerouki
The president of the World Diamond Council takes time out of her busy schedule to tell Rough&Polished readers about the critical work of the WDC. Zerouki, the first female present of the body, which includes all the important industry organizations among...
14 october 2024
James Campbell: Botswana Diamonds optimistic as it enters uncharted territory of using AI for mineral exploration
London-listed Botswana Diamonds has expressed optimism about the company’s use of artificial intelligence (AI) to scan the exploration database in Botswana to look for new mineralised deposits. Company managing director James Campbell told Rough...
07 october 2024
Artur Salyakayev: For me, happiness is freedom to make my ideas happen and create valuable products
Artur Salyakayev is an art entrepreneur, founder of the International Jewelry Academy (IJA) and the INCRUA jewelry company. He has initiated and developed successful projects in jewelry industry and services sector. He is also a leading expert...
30 september 2024
