250 new emerald mines discovered in Panjsher

PARAKH (Pajhwok): About 350 new emerald mines have been discovered in the Pariyan district of central Panjshe province, and nearly 3,987 carats of emeralds from this province have been sold for over $524,000.

In a statement, the governor’s house said more than 250 emerald mines have recently been discovered in the Pariyan district. Out of these, 100 mines have been registered, and official licenses have been issued for six of them.

It said that currently, 15,000 people are employed in the existing mines, and with the commencement of operations in the newly discovered mines, job opportunities will be provided for an additional 2,000 individuals.

Al-Haj Hafiz Mohammad Agha Hakim, the governor of Panjshir, welcomed the expansion of mining areas in the province and assured that serious and well-planned efforts are underway to ensure technical and standard extraction of these mines.

The statement added that 3,987 carats of emeralds extracted from Panjshir mines, valued at 524,350 dollars, were sold to domestic traders through an auction.

According to the source, a Chinese trader also attended today’s auction ceremony.

sa/ma