Tajik gold mining output has slightly declined over the first six month of this year while production of silver has noticeably increased over the same six-month period, according to the Ministry of Industry and New Technologies (MoINT).
An official source at a MoINT says Tajik gold mining enterprises have produced 2.5 tons of gold in January-June this year, which is 37 kilograms less than in the same period last year.
He attributed the decline in gold production to the fact that some gold mining enterprises had not been in operation during the report period for various reasons.
“Thus, the Pakrut gold mine (owned by China Nonferrous Gold Limited) resumed operations only in June after nearly one-and-a-half year standstill,” the source said.
“Besides, Tajik-Chinese JV Zarafshon has not been in operation for nearly month this year and we had problems with access to chemical reagent – cyanide. China has banned the export of this reagent. We have solved this problem and we now purchase cyanide from Kazakhstan,” the source added.
Over the first six months of this year, Tajik-Chinese JV Zarafshon has produced 1.9 tons of gold, Tajik-Canadian JV Aprelevka has produced 300 kilograms of gold, Tilloi Tojik has produced 230 kilograms of gold, and the remaining gold mining enterprises have produced totaling 35 kilograms of gold.
Over the first six month of this year, only seven of twelve gold mining enterprises have been in operation, according to the source.
However, Tajikistan pans to produce up to 5 tons of gold this year.
Meanwhile, production of silver has increased in Tajikistan by nearly one ton.
In January-June this year, Tajikistan has reportedly produced some 3.1 tons of silver. Over the same period last year, Tajikistan produced little more than 2.1 tons of silver.
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
