Ministry says it is cooperating with Aynak Mine extraction

KABUL (Agencies): The Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL) said it helps the mine extraction of Aynak copper. Ataullah Omari, acting minister of MAIL, in a meeting with the head of the Chinese MCC company, pledged that he will cooperate in the acquisition of lands around the Aynak copper and Hajigak mines.
Mesbahuddin Mustaeen, the spokesperson of the ministry, said: “During this meeting, the two sides discussed the acquisition of lands around Aynak copper of Logar and Hajigak Mine of Bamiyan and the water needed by this company.”
More than one decade has passed from the contract of Aynak copper with a Chinese company but why has the extraction process of this project not been practically implemented?
Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesman of the Islamic Emirate, said: “When this contract was signed, historical monuments were found there which are dated to two thousand years ago.
When these monuments were founded, it was more of a result of digging and the pause that came was to prevent the destruction of historical monuments in the course of work.”
A number of economic experts said that for the purpose of increasing the income in the country, after the extraction of Aynak copper of Logar its processing should also be done inside the country.
“With the implementation of this project, on the one hand, engineers and workers will be provided with work, and on the other hand, it will lead to the beginning of commercial relations between China and Afghanistan,” said Mohammad Nabi Afghan, an economic expert.
“This mine should not be extracted as a raw material and exported outside the country, if it is exported in the form of raw materials, it will not have any benefit for Afghanistan,” said Abdulnasir Reshtya, an economic expert.
Aynak copper of Logar province is one of the largest mines in Afghanistan, the contract of which was signed in 2008 with China’s “MCC” company. With the start of this project, more than 6.8 billion cubic meters of copper will be transferred to China.