Interest sparked by small find

Having spent the best 18 years of his life in the desert, Subramaniam Ragubathi believes it is now time to start the harvest.

He started his exploration of the Namib Desert in 1996, most of the time solo, and found his first diamond in 1998.

"It has been 18 long years of struggle, during which I endured many obstacles and came very close to losing the finds to many unscrupulous people on several occasions," he says.

The northwestern region of Namibia and the deserts of the Skeleton Coast are known to be among the most inhospitable places in the world, where the winds are fierce.

Ragubathi faced all the dangers from wildlife, such as elephants, lions, hyenas, poisonous snakes and insects, alone.

His perseverance against such challenging circumstances kept him going until he found his first micro diamond in 1998 in the Toscanini area on the Skeleton Coast.

Following his find, Ragubathi proceeded to apply for, and obtained, four exclusive prospecting licenses along the Skeleton Coast which stretches along 230 kilometers of coastline and spreading over an area of 2,300 square kilometers.

His company, Nambib Resources Pty Ltd, owns the exploration rights for four leases. They have been explored for diamond extraction possibilities since 1998.

"With the support of the Malaysian Government, my Prime Minister Najib Razak and my former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, both of whom I am grateful to, we were able to bring justice to light", says Ragubathi.

He says he is now looking forward to developing the leases and exploiting the resources to the optimum for the benefit of his company, Namibia, Malaysia and China.

"Such development would potentially bring growth on a very huge economic scale," he says. "The domino effects of the diamond industry would bring more financial institutions, jewelers, fashion industry and other direct and indirect participants which would enable sustainable employment on a long-term basis.

"The rare earth industry and the intended development plan which I will disclose in the near future will not only bring employment but it will ensure the utilization of technological transfer and expanded environmental management programs that will ensure the governments of consistent development and growth," he adds.

dujuan@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily Africa Weekly 08/23/2013 page21)