The National Diamond Company (ENDIAMA) produced 9.21 million carats of diamonds in 2016, exceeding the target set by the Ministry of Planning and Territorial Development, which was s nine million carats.

This result demonstrates the great work developed by the workers and joins the discovery of Luache kimberlito in Lunda Sul, said in Luanda the chairman of the company’s Board of Directors, António Carlos Sumbula, on the occasion of the 36th founding anniversary of ENDIAMA.

He reported that the company has been flying over part of the national territory with the aim of discovering more diamond reserves.

Regarding the trading, he underlined that the concessionaire lost about 130 million dollars and also nine million carats. This is explained by the fact that the increase in production led to a fall in prices.

In this regard, he stressed that the company already has superior guidelines to reverse this situation.

Therefore, in the current year (in 2017), it will begin to reverse this scenario, meaning the company will seek to produce less to stimulate the increase in diamond prices.

He informed that in terms of trading the duplication of the production of diamonds in the country could be addressed in a negotiating way among the producers.

For this year, ENDIAMA plans to start with a small mine called “CAP 42” – a CATOCA reserve.

With regard to artisanal production, this year the transformation of some cooperatives organized in small companies is foreseen.

To the governor of Lunda Sul province, Cândida Narciso, the created artisanal cooperatives have contributed to the increase of employment in the region, as they have managed to integrate all the illegal diamond explorers.

According to the governor, the former illegal diamond explorers are now able to better plan their lives.

Without disclosing numbers, she stressed that the province has several cooperatives. Some are already working while others wait for the licenses.

Source: Angop