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Kabul: 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.
“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.
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.”
