Rio Tinto which today announced its production results for the first quarter reported a healthy growth in most categories.

For the diamond segment, Rio Tinto’s total production for the quarter stood at 4.52 million carats, a year-on-year rise of 10% and a 6% increase over the previous quarter. Of this Argyle accounted for 3.39 mn cts, while Diavik (where Rio Tinto has a 60% share) accounted for 1.13 mn cts.

The Company said that production at Argyle was 5% higher than in the first quarter of 2015, “due to increased underground volumes”.  At Diavik 26% more carats were recovered than in   the first quarter of 2015 “due to higher mining rates, availability of stockpiled ore and higher grades recovered”. The Company said that production was also 26% higher than the fourth quarter of 2015, “following the processing pause late in 2015”.

The Company’s 2016 production guidance for diamonds remains unchanged at 21 million carats.

Rio Tinto chief executive Sam Walsh commenting on the overall results said: “These results demonstrate our commitment to operational excellence in 2016, with notable improvements in several important areas, including a strong performance in Aluminium. However, we continue to experience volatility in commodity prices across all markets. In the face of a testing external environment, our focus remains on delivering further cost and productivity improvements, disciplined capital management and maximising free cash flow, to ensure that Rio Tinto remains strong.”