Tajikistan produced a record amount of gold in 2017 – 5,500 kilograms, which is 11.2 percent more than in 2016” the Minister of Industry and New Technologies, Shavkat Bobozoda told reporters in Dushanbe on February 13.
According to him, the overall amount of gold produced in the country last year has been purchased by the National bank of Tajikistan (NBT).
Meanwhile, the NBT head Jamshed Nourmahmadzoda told reporters recently that Tajik central bank had purchased 4,000 kilograms of gold.
Shavkat Bobozoda noted today that it is planned to increase gold production this year by 20 percent compared to 2017.
“Over the last four years, an average annual gold production growth rate has amounted to more than 20 percent,” Bobozoda noted.
Recall, Tajikistan produced 5,000 kilograms of gold in 2016. In 2015, Tajikistan produced about 4,200 kilograms of gold, which was nearly 32 percent more than in 2014. In 2014, Tajikistan produced about 3,200 kilograms of gold.
Tajikistan has 137 deposits with estimated reserves of industrial gold and 127 deposits of non-industrial gold. Tajikistan plans to increase annual production of gold to 17 tons beginning on 2022.
Four large gold mining companies now operate in Tajikistan: Tilloi Tojik; Tajik-Chinese JV Zarafshon; Tajik-Canadian JV Aprelevka; and China Nonferrous Gold Limited, which is the first foreign company to obtain 100% ownership of a mining and exploration project in Tajikistan. Besides, enterprises such as Odina, Nazira, Ganj, Barakat and Istiqlol are engaged in gold production in the country.
Most of gold comes from the Jilau deposit operated by Tajik-Chinese joint venture, Zarafshon, which reportedly accounts for more than 70 percent of the total amount of gold produced in Tajikistan.
