Johannesburg: Market Research said that the global rough diamond production was 131.5 million carats last year, marginally up from 130.5 million carats in 2013.

It said in a summary of its report, “Global Diamond Mining to 2020”, that the market for rough diamond production centered around the top eight producing countries – Russia, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Australia, Canada, Zimbabwe, Angola and South Africa which collectively accounted for 97 percent of global production.

Global diamond output was expected to hit 135 million this year, according to independent industry analyst Paul Zimnisky.

No breakdown was provided in the summary, but Russia had been the leading diamond producer in terms of volume, while Botswana led in value terms.

The report summary further noted that ALROSA, De Beers SA, Rio Tinto Plc, Dominion Diamond Corporation and Petra Diamonds were the world’s largest diamond mining companies, collectively accounting for 70 percent of global production.

The world’s largest kimberlite reserves were found in Botswana’s Orapa region and in South Africa, while alluvial deposits are found mainly on the Atlantic coasts of South Africa and Namibia, it said.

Global diamond reserves were said to be 730 million carats as of January 2015, with Australia, Botswana and the DRC collectively accounting for 72 percent of the total.

The report claimed that the accessibility of diamond deposits and the depth of occurrence were increasing challenges to the expansion of global diamond mining operations, with projects becoming more capital intensive, necessitating substantial investments, especially in technology.