China slowdown dims Botswana�s minerals prospects
Tuesday, November 10, 2015
Sluggish: Demand for diamonds in he second half of 2015 is expected to be worse than the 2008 crisis
China is the second largest consumer of diamonds while it is the top buyer of commodities such as copper and coal.
According to the report compiled by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), the impact of the softening in international demand was already evident in the first half of 2015, with Botswana’s earnings from rough diamond exports falling by 16.8 percent year-on-year to $1.7 billion (P17.6 billion).
It is a clear signal that the government’s purse is empty and that our own behaviour has left veterinary officials fighting with one hand tied behind their backs. We have been here before. During COVID-19, many of us thought we knew better. We ignored simple rules, we carried on as if the danger was someone else’s problem, and the virus took lives and left our economy on its knees. We are still broke from that experience. Yet now, with FMD...