DUSHANBE, October 17, 2011, Asia-Plus — On Saturday October 15, President Emomali Rahmon visited gold mining enterprises in the Shugnou jamoat of Khovaling district, Khatlon province.
According to the presidential press service, the population of the Shugnou jamoat is more than 8,500 people and some, 1500 of them are working with gold-mining enterprises.
President Rahmon visited the Safeddara area, where the main goldfield and head office of the state-run gold mining enterprise, Tilloi Tojik (Tajik Gold), are located.
Tilloi Tojik was established in October 2008 on the basis of the joint venture Darvaz, which included a 49 percent interest from the UK based Gold and Mineral Excavation.
Tilloi Tojik produces gold from its alluvial operation at the Yakhsou deposit, which reportedly has proven reserves of around 25 tons of gold.
Modernization of the enterprise has allowed increasing production that had been erratic in the 1990s. In 2010, Tillo Tojik produced some 320 kilograms of gold and this year, they plan to produce 500 kilograms of gold.
Besides, five private gold mining companies are currently operating in Shugnou; one of them – the gold mining artel Odina – produced 125 kilograms of gold last year. This year, Odina is expected to increase gold production 1.5 times.
During his meeting with residents of the Shugnou Jamoat, the head of state ordered administrations of the gold mining enterprises to increase annual gold production at the Khovaling goldfields to 1,000 kilograms in the coming two years.
He also ordered to build three schools, a jewelry workshop, a sewing enterprise and a workshop for processing medicinal herbs in Shugnou.
Tajikistan has 28 known gold deposits containing an estimated 429.3 tons of gold. The largest amount of gold was produced in Tajikistan in 1998 – 3,000 kilograms, while the country has produced not more than 1,800 kilograms of gold per year in recent years. Most of gold comes from the Jilau deposit operated by ZGC. Three large gold mining companies now operate in Tajikistan: ZGC; Tilloi Tojik; and Tajik-Canadian JV Aprelevka.
According to estimates of specialists from the Ministry of Energy and Industries, 2.5 tons of gold will be produced in Tajikistan this year.
