THE Emerald and Semi-Precious Stones Mining Association of Zambia (ESMAZ) has lamented that the industry is struggling due to a low market and high operating costs. Recently, government in its first half of the year performance of the mining sector report disclosed that Zambia recorded a 61.26 percent increase in Emerald production, rising from 11,689.19 kilograms in 2025 to 18,915.92 kilograms in 2026. Commenting on this in an interview, Wednesday, ESMAZ president Victor Kalesha said despite pockets of production from Zambia’s largest emerald producers, Grizzly and Kagem Mining, investor interest remained low. Kalesha said the sector needed financing through loans, not grants, and called for the implementation of policies that would attract investment. “The emerald sector is not doing so...