$27.5m contract for Jegdalek ruby mine inked

KABUL (Pajhwok): The Ministry of Mines and Petroleum (MoMP) says a private firm is investing 27.5 million US dollars in the extraction of rubies from the Jegdalek mine in Kabul.

A new bidding session involving domestic companies for the development of the ruby mine was held on Friday, the ministry wrote on its X handle.

Ariana Highland was declared the winner of the tender, agreeing to give a 44 percent share of the mine’s proceeds to the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA).

The winning company was expected to invest $27.5 million in the extraction of rubies from the mine, the ministry said.

It added the firm would also spend $5 million on social services.

The Jegdalek mine is located in the Sarobi district of Kabul. Its area is 6,900 square kilometres.

Earlier, an agreement worth over $247.4 million for the extraction of one-half of the third block of lead and zinc mines in Ghor’s Shahrak district had been signed with a national company.

kk/mud

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