Mr Vajihollah Jafari deputy industry minister said that over the past 3 years, Iran has discovered over 11 billion tonnes of minerals. Between March 2010 and March 2012, about IRR 1.6 trillion was invested in the field of mineral exploration.
Mr Jafari said that Iran plans to extract some 400 million tonnes of minerals by the end of the current Iranian calendar year. The figure will be around 15% higher YoY.
Iran’s mineral extraction is projected to hit 570 million tonne by the end of the Fifth Five-Year Development Plan.
On December 17th, he said that some IRR 1.6 trillion has been invested in exploration projects in Iran during the past three years.
Iran is ranked among the 15 major mineral rich countries of the world and exports its industrial and mineral products to 159 countries, including Iraq, China, the United Arab Emirates, India and Afghanistan.
Mr Mehdi Ghazanfari, Iranian Industry, Mine and Trade Minister said that Iran holds two percent of the world’s total mineral reserves. He added that the mineral reserves include 12 metal and 36 non metal ores.
Mr Ghazanfari said that aome 5,000 mines are being exploited in the country, adding that around 340 million tonne of minerals were extracted in the past year, which ended on March 19th.
Source:
http://www.steelguru.com/middle_east_news/Iranian_discovered_11_billion_tonne_of_minerals_in_3_years_Mr_Jafari/297027.html
