According to the results of the first quarter of 2014, the volume of diamond production of the De Beers group showed an increase of 18% year-on-year, to 7.532 million carats.
Anglo American, which owns an 85% stake in the diamond mining group, posted a message on its website, noting that "the increase in production is largely due to the fact that in the comparable period last year, preventive work was carried out at the Orapa mine and recovery was restored after collapse of the slope at the Jwaneng mine in Botswana. "
Diamond production at the Orapa mine jumped 54% on a year-on-year basis to 3.204 million carats, while diamond production at the Zhvaneng project increased 4% to 2.376 million carats during the reporting period.
Debswana, a joint venture between De Beers and the government of Botswana, recorded a 27% increase in total diamond output to 5.758 million carats.
In addition to Orapa and Zhvaneng mines, Debswana owns Letlhakane and Damtshaa mines.
The joint venture of De Beers with the government of Namibia, Namdeb, produced 432,000 carats of diamonds on land and sea projects during the reporting period.
According to Anglo, De Beers' operational activities in South Africa were hampered by heavy rainfall, which led to a drop in production compared to the previous quarter.
Production at the Venetia mine in the 1st quarter decreased by 17% to 531,000 carats of diamonds, while the Kimberley mine recorded a 28% drop in production to 159,000 carats.
Meanwhile, at the Voorspoed mine, diamond production jumped 72% to 242,000 carats.
Thus, the total production of De Beers Consolidated Mines in South Africa fell by 7% year-on-year to 932,000 carats.