GAZETTE REPORTER
The Index of Botswana’s Mining Production stood at 97.0 during the first quarter of 2022, showing a year-on-year growth of 30.4 percent, from 74.4 registered in the first quarter of 2021, a recent report by Statistics Botswana shows.
According to the report titled The Index Of The Physical Volume Of Mining Production (first quarter of 2022), the main contributor to the increase in mining production was Diamonds and Copper in Concentrates, which contributed 24.1 and 6.0 percentage points respectively.
Diamonds
The report by the government statistics agency shows that diamond production increased by 25.0 percent (1, 259 thousand carats) from 5, 040 thousand carats during the first quarter of 2021 to 6, 299 thousand carats during the period under review. “Similarly, quarter-on-quarter analysis shows that production registered an increase of 18.2 percent (970 thousand carats) during the first quarter of 2022 compared with 5, 329 thousand carats recorded during the fourth quarter of 2021,” reads the report.
Copper
Copper in Concentrates produced during the first quarter of 2022 was 5, 706 tonnes. The quarter on-quarter analysis shows that production increased by 35.1 percent (1,481 tonnes) during the first quarter of 2022 compared with 4, 225 tonnes produced during the fourth quarter of 2021. The report on the other hand shows that Gold production decreased by 30.0 percent (52 kilograms) during the first quarter of 2022, from 174 kilograms during the first quarter of 2021 to 122 kilograms. The report shows that decrease was a result of the deteriorating lifespan of the mine arising from resource depletion.
Soda Ash
Soda Ash production increased by 5.0 percent (3, 603 tonnes) from 71, 638 tonnes during the first quarter of 2021 to 75, 241 tonnes produced during the period under review. “Similarly, quarter-on quarter analysis shows that production went up by 12.2 percent (8, 198 tonnes) during the first quarter of 2022, from 67, 043 tonnes registered during the fourth quarter of 2021,” reads the report.
Salt
Salt production decreased by 13.8 percent (9, 561 tonnes), from 69, 275 tonnes during the first quarter of 2021 to 59,714 tonnes during the first quarter of 2022. During the first quarter of 2022, Silver production recorded 5, 344 kilograms. “The quarter-on quarter analysis shows that production increased by 47.4 percent (1,718 kilograms) during the first quarter of 2022 compared to 3, 626 kg produced during the fourth quarter of 2021,” the report shows.
Coal
“Coal production increased by 6.0 percent (31, 053 tonnes), from 516, 868 tonnes during the first quarter of 2021, to 547, 921 tonnes in the current quarter.”