2,604 carats of Panjsher emerald sold in 25th auction

PARAKH (Pajhwok): The Department of Mines and Petroleum in central Panjsher province has sold 2,603 carats of emeralds for 335,500 US dollars at 25^th auction, an official said on Tuesday.

Provincial Mines and Petroleum director Mohammad Qasim Amiri told Pajhwok Afghan News that 95 traders from Panjsher, Kabul, Parwan, Kapisa, Balkh, Kandahar, Logar, Baghlan and central Uruzgan provinces participated in the auction.

The emerald sold had been extracted from deposits in Hisa Awal district of the province, he said.

Extraction of emeralds in Panjsher province resumed in August, 2023 after remaining suspended for about two years. So far 25 sessions of auction have been arranged and the extracted precious stones were sold to both national and foreign traders.

According to figures with the provincial Mines and Petroleum Directorate, the number of registered mines in the province is 1,700 and 550 of them are under extraction and over 15,000 workers are working in these mines.

aw/ma