Coal mine revenue shoots up

KABUL earned $42.9 million last year from its coal mines, indicating an 88 percent hike in revenue, a ministry of mines official said on Thursday.

Extractions are ongoing from coal mines in eastern Laghman, central Bamyan and northern Samangan provinces. In 2010, the income from coal mines stood at $22.8 million, said the ministry spokesman, Jawad Omar.

Northern Afghan Coal Enterprise head, Eng. Abdul Khaliq Tasmim, said nearly 423,000 tonnes were extracted last year. The extraction was 752,000 tonnes in 2010.

In 2009, Tasmim recalled, coal exports to Pakistan increased and so did the demand for extraction. The upward trend translated into increased revenue, he added.

“Last year, 60 percent of coal was exported to Pakistan. The exports were necessary to develop our coal mines and income from them,,” he continued.

Statistics show an 89 percent surge in coal extraction over the past two years. Tasmim said most of the coal extracted during the period was of low quality.

He said there were two types of coal. “One is sold for 2,100 afghanis a tonne and the other for 1500 afghanis.” Coal mines also in northern Badakhshan and western Herat provinces remain untapped.

ma/mud