KABUL (Tolo News) : The Ministry of Mines and Petroleum said that there are 1,700 emerald mines in Panjshir province, for which 550 companies have been granted mining licenses.
According to the Ministry’s statistics, about 10,000 people are employed in the emerald mines of this province.
The Ministry of Mines and Petroleum has given statistics that 1,700 emerald mines have been discovered in Panjshir province and so far, nearly 47,000 carats of emeralds worth more than $3.5 million dollars have been sold to domestic traders in this province.
Meanwhile, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry sees the establishment of factories for the processing of emeralds and the provision of workspaces, especially for the sale of mineral resources abroad, as beneficial.
“Afghan traders should unite to establish an emerald processing factory, improve its quality, which currently goes to Pakistan for processing,” said Khan Jan Alokozay, a member of the board of ACCI.
“Afghanistan’s emeralds have a good market abroad, especially Europe. Before, the emeralds of Afghanistan were smuggled, but now their control has been achieved,” said Sakhi Ahmad Paiman, the deputy of the Chamber of Mines and Industries.
At the same time, a number of economic analysts emphasized the development of a specific strategy for the extraction of mines and the export of Afghan mineral resources through legal means.
“If the government legalizes [emerald mining] and mining is done legally, it will help us gain the emerald market worldwide,” said Mohammad Nabi Afghan, an economic analyst.
“If attention is paid and emeralds are properly mined and we work on international markets, I am hopeful that the world will show interest in them,” said Ferdaws Behguzin, an economic analyst.
Earlier, the Ministry of Industry and Commerce had stated that in the first nine months of 1402 (solar year), precious and semi-precious stones, including emeralds, worth more than two million dollars were exported to Pakistan, China, Uzbekistan, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, and Germany.”
