Russia contributes quarter of world diamond production in 2010
ANTWERP. Aug 2 (Interfax) - Russia mined 34.9 million carats of diamonds last year, which were worth $2.38 billion of the $12 billion worth of diamonds produced worldwide, and accounting for around a quarter of world production, according to a report released by Rapaport.
Russia, which in 2009 led the world in diamond mining by both volume and value, yielded first place to Botswana in terms of value last year, but held onto its position in terms of volume. Botswana mined 22 million carats worth of diamonds valued at $2.59 billion last year. there were 133.1 million carats mined worldwide in 2010.
The group Alrosa , Russia's diamond monopoly, mined 5% more diamonds last year than the year before - 34.336 million carats in all. In the first half, the group mined 19 carats worth of diamonds, 8% more than in the same period in 2009. Judging from a forecast of world diamond-market growth, the company plans sales in 2011 of up to $4.7 billion and reckons to extract 34.438 million carats worth.
