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GABORONE, Feb 26 (Reuters) - Diamond producer Debswana aims
to increase output by 38% this year to pre-pandemic levels of 23
million carats, a company official said on Friday, as the global
diamond market recovers with the easing of travel restrictions
and jewellers reopen.
Jointly owned by Anglo American unit De Beers and
the Botswana government, Debswana cut production by 29% to 16.6
million carats in 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic hurt demand and
global travel restrictions affected trading.
Debswana produces almost all of the southern African
nation's diamonds.
Botswana closed its borders for eight months last year to
curb the spread of the coronavirus, locking out international
buyers from centres such as Mumbai, Antwerp and China who
usually travel to Gaborone regularly to view and buy diamonds.
"The projected production figure for 2021 is 23 million
carats," Debswana corporate affairs manager Agatha Sejoe told
Reuters.
De Beers, which gets on average 70% of its supply from
Botswana, says it plans to ramp up production from 25 million
carats in 2020 to a guidance of 32-34 million carats this year.
De Beers' first rough diamond sale of the year in January
generated $650 million, an 18% rise year-on-year and the highest
amount since 2018, as cutting and polishing firms restocked
after the Christmas and Chinese New Year holiday season.
(Reporting by Brian Benza; Editing by Susan Fenton)
