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| Botswana: De Beers moves diamond sorting to Gaborone | Botswana: De Beers moves diamond sorting to Gaborone |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| The world's leading diamond producer, De Beers, has started the sorting of rough stones in Botswana. | The world's leading diamond producer, De Beers, has started the sorting of rough stones in Botswana. |
| It is the first step in the transfer of some of its operations from London to Gaborone, the company said. | It is the first step in the transfer of some of its operations from London to Gaborone, the company said. |
| It would turn Botswana into a major international centre, with about $6bn (£10) worth of diamonds expected to flow through the country, it said. | It would turn Botswana into a major international centre, with about $6bn (£10) worth of diamonds expected to flow through the country, it said. |
| Botswana has long campaigned for its diamonds to be processed, sorted, marketed and sold from the country. | Botswana has long campaigned for its diamonds to be processed, sorted, marketed and sold from the country. |
| 'Milestone' | |
| De Beers' rough stone sorting or aggregation operations have been based in London for nearly 80 years. | De Beers' rough stone sorting or aggregation operations have been based in London for nearly 80 years. |
| Botswana's Vice-President Ponatshego Kedikilwe described the move as a milestone. | |
| "From humble beginnings to becoming the leading diamond producing country by value, we now embark on another segment in the journey chain," he said. | |
| The Botswana government and De Beers - who are joint owners of Debswana, the country's main mining company - signed a deal in September 2011 to make the move from London to Gaborone. | |
| It will open the way for Botswana to directly sell 10% of gem stones manufactured locally, the AFP news agency reports. | It will open the way for Botswana to directly sell 10% of gem stones manufactured locally, the AFP news agency reports. |
| De Beers will also increase the value of diamonds it makes available to manufacturing companies in the country to $800m a year from the current $550m. | De Beers will also increase the value of diamonds it makes available to manufacturing companies in the country to $800m a year from the current $550m. |