Africa-Press – Angola. Angola traded 8.18 million carats of rough diamonds in the first half of this year, valued at 790.43 million US dollars, at an average price of 96.7 dollars per carat, a 14% reduction compared to the same period last year, the Secretary of State for Mineral Resources, Jânio Correia Victor said.
Speaking at the presentation of the balance of the country’s diamond activity, this Friday in Luanda, he said that Angola reached a production of 6.8 million carats, corresponding to an increase of 23.2% compared to the same period.
He said the United Arab Emirates, with 80.8%, Belgium (16%), and Hong Kong with 2.86 percent, are among the main destinations for Angolan exports.
Jânio Correia Victor emphasized that diamond production from January to September reached 10.7 million carats, representing a 72.3% achievement rate compared to the target of 14.8 million carats established in the National Development Plan (PDN) for the current fiscal year.
Regarding the international scenario, the Secretary of State considered it “gloomy,” considering that the international diamond market is going through a crisis marked by the rapid and continuous expansion of synthetic diamonds, whose commercialization grew by around 84% in 2025 in the United States, causing a 90 to 95% drop in prices in recent years.
He stated that this transformation has reduced the demand for natural diamonds, increasing stocks of polished diamonds, consequently leading to a decrease in the operation of the polishing industry in India, at around 60% of its capacity.
The official said the demand for synthetic diamonds, global economic uncertainties, along with the heavy tariffs imposed by the United States and the stagnation of the Chinese market since the pandemic, worsen the performance and make these stones the main challenge in the entire value chain of natural diamonds.
He said that despite the context of uncertainty, the national diamond sector continues to demonstrate solidity and reliability, constituting an essential pillar of the national economy.
He underscored that the performance of the national diamond industry reflects the operational stability of the main mining units in activity, especially the Catoca and Luele mining companies, reinforcing the government’s commitment to promote a modern, sustainable mining sector capable of driving the country’s economic and social development.
Regarding the marketing prospects for the year, the official said, projections point to an encouraging scenario, fundamentally based on the fact that, for this year, global rough diamond production is expected to be below 100 million carats, interrupting the growth trend observed in the last decade.
Victor said that added to these aspects, there is the maintenance of high stocks of polished diamonds, the moderate consumption of diamond jewelry in the United States, influenced by economic uncertainty and the increase in import tariffs on Indian jewelry.
With great pride, he stressed, we can say that Angola is consolidating itself as an attractive source of quality rough diamonds, which reinforces its strategic position in the international market.
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