admin
Business Reporter
THE Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe (MMCZ) says it is still scouting for partners to set up diamond cutting and polishing firms in the country. Early this year, the country’s minerals marketing corporation announced that it had engaged several firms from China, Hong Kong, Dubai and Israel who expressed interest in investing in the diamond industry in Zimbabwe.
“MMCZ is scouting for partners to set up diamond cutting and polishing firms in the country.
“Zimbabwe is keen to set up a diamond polishing and cutting industry to derive maximum benefits from the industry after the discovery of huge deposits of the precious stones in Marange, Manicaland province.
“Negotiations with interested parties are still going on,” said MMCZ in a statement.
It said the country stood to reap immense benefits from processing diamonds among which was becoming a source of jewelry on the worldmarket.
Zimbabwe, which at present is the seventh largest diamond producer in the world, has potential to supply 25 percent of global demand.
The country has also been tipped to become the third biggest producer in ten years time.
In a recent weekly commentary, AfrAsia Kingdom reported that Marange diamond fields were bound to become the largest diamond producer in the world in terms of annual production basing on the 16.9 million carats the project was expected to produce this year.
Presently, there are seven diamond-mining firms operating in Zimbabwe’s rich Marange diamond fields namely Mbada Diamonds, Marange Resources, Anjin, DTZ-OZGEO, Jinan, Gye Nyame and Diamond Mining Corporation.
MMCZ said Western countries led by the United States have been battling to block Zimbabwe from selling its diamonds as part of the sanctions they have imposed on the country.
This is despite the green light given to the country by the global diamond watchdog, the Kimberly Process Certification Scheme, for the country to freely market its gems.
Online Reporter
derick.khumalo