DUSHANBE, July 23, 2010, Asia-Plus — Over the first six months of this year, 740 kilograms of gold and 1,545 kilograms of silver have been produced in Tajikistan, which is 203 and 367 kilograms respectively more than in the same period last year, Deputy Minister of energy and Industries, Khairullo Mahmadulloyev, remarked at a news conference in Dushanbe on July 23.
According to him, 1,703 kilograms of gold are expected to be produced in Tajikistan this year.
The Zeravshan Gold Company (ZGC) has produced 446 kilograms of gold in January-June 2010, which is 103 kilograms more than in the same period of 2009.
Tajik enterprise, Tilloi Tojik (Tajik gold) and JV Aprelevka have produced 76.5 kilograms and 203 kilograms of gold respectively over the same six-month period. “Because of two-week shutdown in February, Aprelevka has produced gold 22.5 kilograms less compared to January-June 2009,” said the deputy minister, “The fact of the matter is that Aprelevka had previously received electricity from Uzbekistan; the Uzbek side stopped electricity supplies to the enterprise in February, and therefore, Aprelevka was not in operation for two weeks. Later, the enterprise was connected to the Tajik electricity supply network”
According to Mahmadulloyev, 60 percent (505 kilograms) of gold produced over the first half-year of 2010 has been purchased by the Ministry of Finance.
Tajikistan reportedly has 28 known gold deposits containing an estimated 429.3 tons of gold. The country now produces on average 1,600 kilograms of gold per year, most of which comes from the Jilau deposit operated by the Zeravshan Gold Company (Tajik-Chinese gold-mining joint venture, located in Sughd province).
The other two gold producers are the gold-mining enterprise, Tilloi Tojik (formerly JV Darvaz), which produces gold from its alluvial operation at the Yakhsou deposit, located in Khatlon province in southern Tajikistan, and Tajik-Canadian gold-mining joint venture, Aprelevka, which is engaged in mining and processing of ores at Aprelevka, Qyzyl-Cheku, Burgunda, Ekiljon and other small deposits in northern Tajikistan (Sughd province).
