July 1 (Reuters) - Botswana and De Beers Group have agreed a new diamond sales deal in which the African country, the world's No. 1 diamond producer by value, gradually increases the share of rough stones it gets from their joint venture Debswana over the next decade to 50%, the government and the mining company said on Saturday. The Botswana government and De Beers said they had agreed on a 10-year sales deal for Debswana's rough diamond production through to 2033, and on a 25-year Debswana mining licence valid until 2054. The Botswana-De Beers agreement allows the partners to advance the investment required to secure Debswana's position as one of the world's leading gem producers, De Beers said. Botswana, where De Beers has been present for 50 years, is heavily reliant on diamonds, with two-thirds of its foreign currency receipts coming from mining, sales and ancillary activities linked to the precious stone.

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Persons: De Beers, Debswana, Mokgweetsi Masisi, weren't, Felix Njini, Promit Mukherjee, Nelson Banya, Leslie Adler, David Holmes Organizations: De Beers Group, Okavango, Thomson Locations: Botswana, Debswana, pula, Nairobi, Harare, Nilutpal