Botswana rough diamonds exports fall

Gaborone - The value of rough diamonds exports from Botswana's mines fell 15% in the first six months of the year to $1.7bn, official data showed on Tuesday.

Diamond exports contribute 30% to the GDP of the southern African nation. But diamond demand has slowed since late 2014 as middlemen who buy rough stones struggle with a stronger dollar and liquidity problems.

The bulk of Botswana's diamond exports are from Debswana, a joint venture between the governments and diamond giant De Beers. Debswana's output slid 4% to 12 million carats in the first six months of this year.

Debswana, the world's biggest diamond producer by sale value, has trimmed its full year production target to 20 million carats from 23 million carats.