Pakistan among gold producing countries

[LahoreEstate]

ISLAMABAD: By producing 7.746 tonnes of gold during the last five years – 2004 to 2008 – Pakistan has joined the ranks of gold producing countries.

A senior official of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources told APP, “Presently copper, gold, silver and magnetite are being produced from the Saindak Copper-Gold Project in Balochistan’s Chaghi district.”

According to the data available with the Saindak Metal Limited – during the last five years – Pakistan has produced 86,013 tonnes of copper, 7.746 tonne gold and 11.046 tonne silver, besides the production of 14,482 tonnes of magnetite concentrate (iron), bringing in a total of $633.573 million.

The minerals produced from the Saindak Copper-Gold Project were being internationally marketed by the lessee M/s MRDL, as the project was producing blister copper with contained minerals.

The MRDL lacked refinery facilities to separate the gold from the silver, which resulted in their being exported to other countries. The iron concentrate was being sold to Pakistan Steel Mills, the official said. app

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp...2009_pg7_2