DUSHANBE (Avesta.Tj) – During the first seven months of 2012, Tajikistan increased the export of precious and semi-precious metals by 29.2%, reaching US $46 million, $10.4 millions more than in 2011.

According to the Tajik Ministry of Energy and Industry, gold production in Tajikistan increased only by 7 kg and amounted to 927.9 kg in January-June 2012. Tajikistan plans to produce 2,441 kg of gold by the end of the year. Currently, 8 gold mining enterprises operate with the participation of foreign investors.

According to estimates from the Tajik Academy of Sciences, gold deposits are estimated at 429.3 tonnes. Tajikistan’s largest gold mining operation is located in Sughd Province, with most gold being mined southeast of Gharm, in the Pamir Mountains, in the Yakhsu Valley, Chkalovsk, and Jilau. Furthermore, last year, Tajikistan announced its geologists had discovered two massive gold deposits estimated to contain 177 tons of gold: the first deposit discovered in central Tajikistan, 118 tons while the other field in the country’s north is believed to have 59 tons of gold.

The main customers for precious metals are the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank of Tajikistan.