Tajikistan plans to increase production of gold by 6 percent annually. Tajik authorities intend to attain this result through introducing new production capacities into operation.
The Industry Development Strategy (Strategy) designed for the period up to 2030, in particular, notes that alluvial gold fields of Khunukob, Sarighor, Kofirbacha, Panjakent, Matcha, Yaghnob, Vozgin, Obi Ravnov and Dulobi Sangov are of significant importance for further development of gold production in the country.
The Strategy proposes to take measures to simplify license issuance procedure for small deposits, establish mining communities by legal entities, increase the number of buying-up centers, etc.
The document also points out the necessity of organization of artisanal and small-scale gold mining.
Meanwhile, a document on the artisanal and small-scale gold mining that was worked out by the Ministry of Finance last year is still under consideration by the Government.
This document provides for legitimizing artisanal and small-scale gold mining in the country and persons interested will be able to be engaged in gold-digging.
If the document is endorsed, citizens of Tajikistan will be able to extract gold in territories, which are not under the jurisdiction of the gold mining companies.
For this , they will have to get permission (license) from the Ministry of Finance.
The permission will be given for production of gold in certain territories that do not belong to physical and legal entities.
They will be able to sell their gold to the state financial institutions and the price for gold that will be bought from the population will be set by the Ministry of Finance.
Artisanal and Small-scale mining (ASM) refers to informal mining activities carried out using low technology or with minimal machinery. The term Artisanal and Small-scale Mining broadly refers to mining practiced by individuals, groups or communities often informally and in developing nations.
Recall, Tajikistan produced a record amount of gold last year – 5,500 kilograms, which is 11.2 percent more than in 2016.
In 2016, 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.
