Contracts signed for extraction of Herat barite, Kabul ruby mines

KABUL (Pajwhok): The Ministry of Mines and Petroleum has inked two contracts worth 33 million US dollars for exploration, extraction and processing of barite mine in Herat and Jegdalek ruby mine in Kabul.

The contracts were signed between Acting Minister of Mines and Petroleum Sheikh Shahabuddin Dilawar and representatives of the two firms.

Dilawar told a conference in this regard that the agreements had been signed for a period of 15 years.

He said the first contract was about barite mine in Herat city, spreading over an area of ​​5.7 square kilometers and the contractor would invest 5,990 million dollars.

He added that the government's share in this mine was 50 percent.

Barite is a type of mineral that is found in oil and gas wells and is abundant in the country.

Under the second contract, the private firm will invest 27.5 million US dollars in the extraction of ruby from the Jegdalek mine in Kabul

The minister said the winner company had agreed to giving 44 percent share from the mine’s proceeds to the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA).

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