Business
IEA to call for tenders for marble and lapis mines
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) officials said Saturday that based on a cabinet decision they will soon call for tenders for the extraction of marble in Wardak province and lapis lazuli in Badakhshan.
Officials from the second deputy prime minister’s office said however that an assessment would first be conducted into the two mines before they called for tenders.
Members of the Afghan private sector welcomed the IEA’s decision and called on the IEA to give priority to Afghan investors in the tender process.
“We are glad to extract the mines, which will benefit the people. It will be very beneficial if they (IEA) prioritize domestic investors,” said Mohammad Younus Mohmand, deputy head of the Chamber of Commerce and Investment.
Economists also welcomed the decision and said that the revenue generated will benefit the entire country.
“Tenders should be issued for all mines. If we do not extract minerals, the mines are useless,” said Taj Muhammad Talish, an analyst.
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.
These minerals are locally extracted, in mostly small, artisanal mines.
Far more value, however, lies with the country’s endowments of iron, copper, lithium, rare earth elements, cobalt, bauxite, mercury, uranium and chromium.
The Ministry of Mines and Petroleum says it has signed 36 large and small mining contracts, with a total value of $1.3 billion over the past year.
Officials from the ministry stated that these contracts include 10 large mines, 25 small mines, as well as projects related to cement, salt, marble, and a major gas extraction contract with Uzbekistan, all signed with both domestic and foreign companies.
Meanwhile, economic experts have emphasized the importance of increasing investments in the mining sector for the country’s economic growth. They have stressed that priority in mining contracts should be given to domestic companies.
“It is better to prioritize domestic investors over foreign ones,” said Kamaluddin Kakar, an economic expert.
In the meantime, members of the private sector also stated that if both foreign companies and Afghan investors can partner in the mining sector, this will not only foster investment development in the country but also bring positive changes in capacity building within the mining extraction sector.
The press office of the Herat governor has announced the export of Afghanistan’s first shipment via the Khaf-Herat railway to Europe.
According to a statement from the office, the shipment includes 200 tons of dried fruits worth $1.2 million, which were exported to Turkey and Europe through the Khaf-Herat railway in the presence of Islam Jar, the governor of this province, and the Iranian Consul General.
The exported dried fruits in this shipment include pistachios, raisins, almonds, and pine nuts.
The statement added that over the past three months, more than 35,000 tons of goods have been transferred via the Khaf-Herat railway.
Business
Russia’s LPG exports to Afghanistan boom as Europe shuns it
The exports to Afghanistan, the main consumer of Russia’s LPG in the region, rose by 52% for the period to 71,000 tons.
Russia’s exports of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to Afghanistan and ex-Soviet states in Central Asia have jumped following introduction of European Union sanctions against Moscow at the end of 2024, industry sources said on Wednesday, Reuters reported.
The European Union’s sanctions against Russia’s LPG over the war in Ukraine took effect on December 20. The restrictions were proposed last year by Poland, one of Russia’s largest LPG importers.
LPG, or propane and butane, is mainly used as fuel for cars, heating and to produce other petrochemicals.
According to the industry sources, railway supplies of LPG from Russia’s plants, including the Kazrosgas joint venture with Kazakhstan, jumped to the region by 80% year on year in January – February to 140,000 metric tons, read the report.
The exports to Afghanistan, the main consumer of Russia’s LPG in the region, rose by 52% for the period to 71,000 tons.
Traders expect great scope for more supplies to Afghanistan, where annual demand for LPG is seen at around 700,000 tons per year.
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