Diamond exports drop to seven-year low
Tuesday, February 09, 2016
According to statistics published by the Bank of Botswana yesterday, the value of exports from the major diamond mines in Botswana fell to $2.4 billion (P28.5 billion) in 2015 from $3.9 billion (P45.6 billion) the previous year.
The figures however do not include diamonds that De Beers brings in the country for aggregation before re-exportation.
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...