2,638 carats of Panjsher emeralds fetch $74,750

PARAKH (Pajhwok): The Mines and Petroleum Department in central Panjsher province has sold 2,638 carats of emerald for $74,750, an official said on Tuesday.

Mohammad Qasim Amir, director of the department, told Pajhwok Afghan News more than 80 traders from Panjsher, Kabul, Parwan, Kapisa, Nangarhar, Laghman, Logar, Paktia provinces and four Iranian traders took part in the auction.

He said the emeralds sold had been extracted from sites in Hisa-i-Awal district. Emerald mining in the province resumed in August after two years of suspension.

The number of emerald deposits in Panjsher exceeds 1,700, out of which extraction work is underway at 550 sites.

hz/ma