KABUL (Pajhwok): More than 7,650 carats of emeralds have been sold for over 7.6 million afghanis at an auction in central Panjsher province.
In a statement, the provincial media office said nearly 300 traders from Herat, Nangarhar, Badakhshan, Kunar, Kabul, Helmand, Panjsher and several other provinces attended the emerald auction held at the provincial government’s conference hall on Tuesday.
It said 7,656 carats of emeralds in 18 samples, valued at a total of 7,658,200 afghanis, were sold in the presence of the authorised board of the Mines Protection Committee.
According to the statement, several traders attending the auction said that opportunities to buy and sell emeralds in a legal, secure and transparent environment had created favourable conditions for their business activities.
The statement added that opportunities for trading emeralds and other precious stones in Panjsher had become more favourable in recent years.
Currently, domestic traders from various provinces, as well as buyers from Iran, India, Australia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Russia and Kazakhstan, are active in the Panjsher emerald market.
The governor’s office said it was working to provide a legal and transparent environment for the buying and selling of emeralds through auctions, adding that the province’s gemstones were supplied to domestic and international markets after purchase.
hz
