The mine puts Bahia on the world diamond map.
A mine located in the small town of Nordestina, in Bahia, could multiply the current national diamond production fivefold; it is there, in the municipality of 12,4 inhabitants, that the Belgian mining company Lipari has already invested R$ 60 million and plans to invest another R$ 30 million throughout this year to accelerate research and begin marketing the stones by the end of 2014.
Bahia 247 - A mine located in the small town of Nordestina, in Bahia, could multiply the current national diamond production fivefold. It is there, in the municipality of 12,4 inhabitants, that the Belgian mining company Lipari has already invested R$ 60 million and plans to invest another R$ 30 million throughout this year to accelerate research and begin commercializing the stones by the end of 2014. According to the newspaper Estado de São Paulo, Lipari estimates that the production capacity of the mines in Nordestina reaches just over 2 million carats. The mines of the Braúna project are the first in Latin America to extract diamonds directly from the rock where they are found.
According to the National Department of Mineral Production (DNPM), the country produces approximately 47 carats, equivalent to 0,04% of the world's total diamond production. With the start of operations at the mine in Bahia, the national supply of diamonds on the world market could be up to five times greater than it is currently. There are only 20 active kimberlite mines in the world. The government of Bahia is expected to license production this year, as well as submit the mining permit application to the DNPM.