Mozambique’s ruby sector has produced more in six months than most industries manage to plan for in a full year. Ruby production rose 61% year on year in the first half of 2026 to more than 3.1 million carats, driven largely by the performance of mining companies in Cabo Delgado, the country’s main ruby producing region.
Government data on performance from January to June, compiled by Lusa, show ruby production reached 3,183,333 carats, compared with 1,972,110 carats in the same period of 2025. The volume represents 78% of the annual target the government set for 2026, which stands at 4,062,547 carats. According to the six month report, positive execution of 78.4% and a growth rate of 61.4% were recorded compared with the same period of 2025. The document adds that 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.
The data follow a year of strong growth for the sector in 2025, when ruby production increased 29% to 5,097,439 carats, from 3,946,507 carats produced in 2024. According to the 2025 budget execution report, ruby, the mineral with the largest share of the gemstones group, recorded an execution rate of 123% and growth of 29% compared with the previous year, attributed to the good performance of mining companies and increased demand in the international market. That growth consolidates a trajectory that has been building for several years, with production rising from 2,710,618 carats in 2023 to 3,946,507 carats in 2024, before exceeding the five million carats mark for the first time in 2025.
Despite that momentum, the government set a lower target for 2026 than the volume actually achieved last year, attributing the more conservative forecast to operational limitations facing 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 budget document states. The first half report notes that growth was achieved despite the suspension of activities by the third largest producer of this gemstone, which is currently operating at partial capacity.
However, the sector has already cleared more than three quarters of its annual target within the first six months of the year. Around 70% of national ruby production is currently destined for export, a share the government intends to lift to 79% by 2029. The sector’s main operation remains Montepuez Ruby Mining in Cabo Delgado province, considered one of the world’s largest ruby producers. Despite the increase in production recorded in 2025, Montepuez Ruby Mining warned at the beginning of this year of the persistence of illegal trade in gemstones and of garimpeiros trespassing on its mining concession.
