Zimbabwe Eyes Overseas Rough Tenders

RAPAPORT… Zimbabwe’s state-owned diamond miner is planning tenders
outside the country in an effort to attract more buyers, Bloomberg reported
Thursday.



The Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company (ZCDC) intends to
hold 11 international sales in 2020, the news agency cited the miner’s acting
CEO, Rob De Pretto, as saying. Its tenders are currently in Harare, the
country’s capital, but the location does not appeal to clients, the report
continued.


“We are exploring opportunities and new markets to sell our
products,” De Pretto said in an email to Rapaport News Monday. “The key
international markets [where] most producers are selling their goods are Antwerp,
Dubai, India and Singapore,” he added, without providing details on where or
when the sales would take place.


Zimbabwe’s diamond industry is centered on the Marange
fields in Chiadzwa. ZCDC expects to produce 3.1 million carats this year, 24%
lower than the 4.1 million carats it previously predicted, according to
Bloomberg. However, the miner is predicting an increase to 6.1 million carats
in 2020, the report said.


Image: An earth-moving truck at Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company operations. (Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company)