Covid-19 drops DeBeers production by 54%
Rough diamond production of 3.5mn cts DeBeers rough diamond production decreased by 54% to 3.5 million carats, primarily due to the Covid-19 lockdowns in southern Africa. Mining operations resumed following regional lockdowns with Covid-19 measures in place to safeguard the workforce; with production at lower levels reflecting reduced demand for rough diamonds due to the pandemic. In Botswana, production decreased by 68% to 1.8 million carats, principally due to a nationwide lockdown from 2 April to 18 May and the implementation of Covid-19 measures to safeguard the workforce. Operations restarted from mid-May, with production targeted at levels to meet the lower demand. Namibia production increased by 7% to 0.4 million carats as the Mafuta crawler vessel was under planned maintenance in Q2 2019. With targeted regional lockdowns in Namibia in response to Covid-19, marine operations implemented measures to enable operational continuity while safeguarding the workforce. This