Rio Tinto’s Q2 production drops 24%

For Rio Tinto, diamond production took a 24 percent fall (y-o-y) in the second quarter of 2011, resulting in 2.733 million carats. The mining company noted that the lower output at its Argyle mine owing to rainfall impacted its overall drop in diamond production. The said mine produced 1.58 million carats in the said three months , a drop of 39 percent.

The mining company owns 60 percent in the Diavik mine and its share saw an 11 percent increase to 1.074 million carats. Its 78 percent share of production at the Murowa mine in Zimbabwe saw a 110 percent increase to 80,000 carats.

The company’s overall production in the first six months of 2011 dropped 26 percent to 5.232 million carats.