Maputo, 24 Sep (AIM) – Mozambique’s ruby production increased 61 percent year-on-year in the first half of 2026 to more than 3.1 million carats, driven by the performance of mining companies in the northern province of Cabo Delgado, the country’s main ruby-producing region.
The Montepuez Ruby Mining Company (MRM), which operates in the Namanhumbir administrative post, Montepuez district, is the country’s main operator and one of the world’s largest ruby producers.
Government data on government performance from January to June point out that ruby production reached 3,183,333 carats, compared with 1,972,110 carats recorded in the same period of 2025.
The volume represents 78 percent of the annual target set by the Government for 2026, which stands at 4,062,547 carats.
“In relation to ruby, positive execution of 78.4 percent and a growth rate of 61.4 pecent were recorded, compared with the same period of 2025. This performance resulted to a large extent from the performance of companies in Cabo Delgado province, despite the constraints faced by one of the country’s main producers”, reads the document, cited by the Portuguese News Agency (LUSA).
The data come after Mozambique’s ruby production recorded strong growth in 2025, increasing 29 percent to 5,097,439 carats, from 3,946,507 carats produced in 2024.
According to the, “Ruby, the mineral with the largest share of the gemstones group, recorded an execution rate of 123 percent and growth of 29 percent compared with the previous year, as a result of the good performance of mining companies and increased demand in the international market” reads the 2025 budget execution report.
The increase consolidated the growth trajectory observed in recent years, after production rose from 2,710,618 carats in 2023 to 3,946,507 carats in 2024, before exceeding the five-million-carat mark for the first time in 2025.
Despite this growth, the government set a lower target for 2026 than the production achieved last year, attributing the forecast to operational limitations faced by the country’s third-largest ruby producer.
“This forecast is associated with the suspension of production activities by the third-largest company producing this gemstone. The growth was achieved despite the suspension of activities by the third-largest producer of this gemstone, which is currently operating at partial capacity”, reads the report.
Even so, the data indicate that the sector has already achieved more than three-quarters of its annual target in the first six months of the year.
Around 70 percent of national ruby production is currently destined for export, a proportion the government intends to increase to 79 percent by 2029.
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