21 Aug 2009 10:46

Putin pledges up to 35 bln rubles state support for diamond industry

MIRNY, YAKUTIA. Aug 21 (Interfax) - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin pledged up to 35 billion rubles in state support for the Russian diamond industry and said Alrosa, the country's state-owned diamond monopoly, would get help restructuring its debt to Russian and western banks as it struggles to fund its investments at a time when diamond sales have plummeted.

"I'm giving instructions to draft a mechanism for providing state guarantees to restructure Alrosa's debt to Russian and foreign creditors," Putin said at a meeting in Mirny, the heart of the Yakutia diamond province, where Alrosa is based.

In general, the diamond industry will get 30 billion-35 billion rubles in support this year, Putin said.

The state has decided to increase rough diamond procurement significantly in order to support the sector. Spending on gemstone procurement for the State Fund will rise almost four-fold, from 3.7 billion rubles to 14.5 billion rubles. And I think that will be sufficient. The sector has generated a lot of revenue both for the federal and regional budgets, but today, in view of the global situation, it needs support. I think overall support for the sector ought to be approximately 30 billion-35 billion rubles. This won't be easy in times of financial and economic crisis, but we'll do it," Putin said.

Putin attended the launch ceremony for a deep mine at the famous Mir diamond pipe on Friday.

Alrosa has been borrowing heavily to fund the construction of this and two other deep mines at its older pipes, where near-surface reserves are almost depleted. Each one will cost approximately $1 billion. Alrosa's net debt was 115.5 billion rubles at the end of last year, and had mounted by another 34% to 155.2 billion in the six months ended June 30.

Alrosa started to repay the bank loans with its own funds in July: it has paid a first tranche of 2.8 billion rubles under a debt restructuring agreement reached with Alfa-Bank .

Putin said after the new Mir mine had brought its first ore to the surface that diamond industry had been caught up in difficult times due to the global situation. "But there's no doubt that the global situation will recover, the market will bounce back. Your industry will be in demand," he told mine workers.

The Mir open pit was started in 1957 and has produced more than $17 billion worth of diamonds since then.