DUSHANBE (TCA) — Tajikistan’s gold production in 2015 grew 31.6 percent and silver production increased by 61 percent compared to 2014, Avesta news agency reported citing Tajik Minister of Industry and New Technology Shavkat Bobozoda.
He did not disclose the amount of gold produced, saying the information is “classified”.
The Industry Ministry earlier reported that in 2014 Tajikistan produced around 3.2 tons of gold, which means that gold production in 2015 amounted to 4.2 tons.
The minister also said that last year the National Bank and Finance Ministry of Tajikistan increased purchases of gold produced in Tajikistan in order to increase the country’s gold and forex reserves.
In Tajikistan, gold is extracted and produced by several local companies and joint ventures with foreign partners.
Last December, China Nonferrous Gold Limited (CNG), the mineral exploration and mining company currently mining the Pakrut gold project in Tajikistan, said that the first gold ingots were poured at the company’s wholly owned Pakrut gold project in Tajikistan.
The Pakrut gold project, of which CNG has 100 percent ownership, is situated in Tajikistan approximately 120 km northeast of the capital city Dushanbe. Pakrut is located within the Tien Shan gold belt, which extends from Uzbekistan into Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Western China, and which hosts a number of multi-million ounce gold deposits.
CNG is currently in a commissioning phase with mining contractors on site finalizing construction of the mine, plant, tailings dam and refinery.
