Jwaneng Mine intends to continue with normal production despite decreased market demand, the General Manager, Mr Koolatotse Koolatotse, said during a media tour of the mine, October 25. Mr Koolatotse said having acknowledged that such market dimensions were part of the diamond mining industry, they would continue with production the same way they did when faced with uncertainties in the past, such as COVID-19. He said the plan was to stockpile their product and keep feeding the market as per demand. �It is not a shock to us, we are prepared for the uncertainty because we had it in 2009, we had it in 2015 and we had it in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19. Those are the market dimensions that we have faced in the past,� he said. He noted that as the largest contributor to Debswana�s total revenue, Jwaneng Mine was the only operation in the De Beers and Anglo American Group that met the target during the peak of COVID-19 in 2021. �This is where we showcase strength and resilience in what we do, hence we resemble a diamond through these aspects and attributes of our character,� he noted. Mr Koolatotse said their operations were aligned with Botswana�s Vision 2036 pillars through instruments such as De Beers Building Forever strategy. He said a combination of the two stakeholders� strategies was a vehicle through which they aspired to mine diamonds in a responsible and sustainable manner, to contribute an additional P10 billion to Debswana�s revenue. He said exceeding their P3.5 billion savings target was a reflection of their robust and resilient operations. �As at end of June we hit the P3.5 billion mark in terms of savings and we are now at P3.7 billion. That tells how resilient we are, and that when the market goes down, we respond accordingly,� he explained. Mr Koolatotse also explained that they anticipated a smooth transition from Cut 9 to underground mining, with no revenue gap in between the projects. He noted that mitigation plans were also in place to ensure that the processes of the transition were on schedule. He also noted that in an endeavour to transition Jwaneng to a food security hub post-diamond mining, Jwaneng Mine had devised a strategy that would see Botswana�s sheep population increase to 1.2 million by 2036. He said that the facilitation process would include setting up infrastructure and creating a platform for farmers to produce enough breeding stock to feed the market. He added: �We believe that with resources such as agriculture, skills export, renewable energy and tourism, running out of diamonds will not scare us. �We will have enough to substitute diamonds in the future if we start now. We take a stand that Jwaneng will not be a ghost town.� The Mining Manager, Ms Tsetsa Pharithi, said Jwaneng mine moved over 100 million tonnes of material annually from three economically viable kimberlite pipes. Ms Pharithi said even though their equipment was some of the biggest in the continent, they had to deploy efficient and economic operation strategies. �For us to achieve that high volume of material, it takes a very fast pace, very high efficiency and costs included as well,� she explained.Ms Pharithi said more than 190 women had been trained to operate the earth-moving equipment, as part of Jwaneng Mine�s women empowerment and upskilling programme.