KABUL (Tolo News): The Chamber of Commerce and Investment (ACCI) says that in the past year Afghanistan exported one million tons of talc ore. ACCI said that the capacity of the country’s factories to process talc ore has increased.
“Afghanistan exports over 1 million tons of talc annually, the government and the Islamic Emirate must pay attention to this process so that its mines are given to deserving individuals,” said Khanjan Alokozai, a member of the administrative board of the Chamber of Commerce and Investment. The officials of the ACCI also said that if the electricity problem at the talc processing factories is solved, the export of talc ore will further increase.
Meanwhile, Wahab Khogyani, deputy of the Talc Stone Factories Union, says that about forty talc factories have been established in Nangarhar industrial parks. “About forty factories have been set up in the Nangarhar Industrial Park, each capable of processing 500 to 2,000 tons of stone, creating thousands of job opportunities,” said Abdul Wahab Khogyani, deputy of the Talc Stone Factories Union.
The Ministry of Mines and Petroleum emphasized that the Islamic Emirate has stopped the illegal extraction of talc. In the meantime, the Chamber of Industries and Mines says Pakistan is interested in investing in Afghanistan’s mines. “Recently, Pakistanis have been interested in investing in Afghanistan’s talc mines. In the past, Afghan talc was exported to China via Pakistan and part of it was processed in Pakistan,” said Sakhi Ahmad Payman, head of the Chamber of Industries and Mines.
Mansoor Ahmad Khan, ambassador of Pakistan to Afghanistan, tweeted that he had talked to the Nangarhar Talc Exporters Association to develop talc ore exports. “Delighted to visit talc processing factory in Nangarhar at the invitation of Afghan Talc Miners & Exporters Association & discussed ways for overcoming barriers for increasing talc exports to Pakistan & other countries,” he tweeted. According to the Chamber of Commerce and Investment (ACCI), Afghanistan exports over one million tons of talc a year through Iran, Pakistan and Central Asia to global destinations.
