GOVT URGED TO BOOST EMERALD MINING
THE new government must awaken the sleeping emerald economic giant, Emerald and Semiprecious Stones Mining Association of Zambia (ESMAZ) president Victor Kalesha has said.
Mr Kalesha said previous governments had not addressed the core value of awakening the ‘sleeping giant’ in emerald mining.
He said most of the times government was more concerned with the local auctioning of gemstones instead of assisting nonoperating mines owned by Zambians.
Emerald mining, Mr Kalesha said, has always been a sleeping giant that only needed to be awakened like is the case in Columbia and Brazil.
He said the gemstone mining sector was the backbone of the two countries’ economies.
“In as much as we appreciate the government’s commitment to improving the economy of the country through diversification, we as small-scale miners are disappointed that the core value of awakening the ‘sleeping giant’ in emerald mining has never been addressed as a viable sector. It has always been neglected because of wrong priorities.
He said Government has proved from the previous auction sales that emerald mining could contribute positively to the revenue collection of the country if only more mines started operating.
“As small-scale miners, we are aware of government commitment to promoting gemstones mining but lacks prioritising the sector.
“We request that the new government should address the issue of how non-operating mines will be helped to get operational and see how revenue collection increase through taxes coming from gemstone mining,” he said.
He added: “The issue of revenue collection is not about local or outside auctioning of emeralds, the issue is how many more gemstone mines can start operating so that they can start contributing to the national cake through proceeds collection.”
Mr Kalesha said in as much as government wanted to increase revenue collection and job creation in the gemstone mining sector, it should be willing to empower Zambian-owned mines to make them fully operational mines.
“We are optimistic that Grizzly Mining is the only company with goodwill to help small-scale emerald miners with equipment, but we need government involvement to mediate,” he said.