INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Afghan Ministry of Mines and Petroleum said this week that 250 domestic and foreign firms have submitted their bids for the iron mine in
Herat and lead mine in Ghor province.Esmatullah Burhan, a spokesman for the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum, said that it is evaluating the
bids and will soon announce the winners.The iron ore in Herat&s Ghoryan district is estimated to hold 18 million tons of iron
The lead mine in Ghor is also considered to be one of the largest lead mines in the region.The government will collect a good amount of
Hundreds of thousands of jobs will be generated directly or indirectly,& said Burhan.Private sector members say IEA should prefer domestic
companies over foreign firms for investment in the mining sector.It is in the plan of IEA to prefer the domestic companies
Domestic companies would initially bring small companies and then big companies to make major investment in Afghanistan,& said Sherbaz
Kaminzada, head of Chamber of Industries and Mines.Economic experts believe attracting investments in the major mines would help address
economic challenges and poverty in the country.Considering the existing situation, I think it will benefit the Afghan economy because it
will help reduce unemployment, increase tax and find markets for our minerals,& said Taj Mohammad Talash, an economic expert.Afghanistan
possesses a wealth of nonfuel minerals whose value has been estimated at more than US$1 trillion.However, this sector has remained largely
untouched as the former government was never able to successfully regulate the industry
For generations, the country has been renowned for its gemstones & rubies, emeralds, tourmalines and lapis lazuli.The post 250 companies
submit bids for iron, lead mines in Afghanistan first appeared on Ariana News.
