Govt exploring ways of promoting and marketing base metals
THE Government is exploring ways of promoting and marketing base metals as it moves to ensure the mining sector plays a pivotal role in turning around the country’s economy.
Mines and Mining Development Minister Winston Chitando said the Government has made strides in marketing the country’s base metals especially chrome.
A base metal is a common and inexpensive metal, as opposed to a precious metal such as gold or silver. Examples include chrome, iron, nickel, tantalite, lead and zinc.
“Firstly on the chrome side, Government put Apple Bridge (Investment) to try and ensure that the chrome producers have a market for their chrome, that’s quite a lot. It is also trying to do the same (seeking a market) for other base metals like nickel, which are not easy to mine on a small-scale basis. It’s much easier (mining nickel) on a big scale,” said Minister Chitando.
He said there was going to be an increase in the number of chrome smelters in the country culminating in enhanced marketing of the mineral.
“There are more than 10 smelters in the country and these provide a market for chrome which is being mined at a small-scale production. There are also more smelters coming along the way, so there a quite a bit which has been done,” said Minister Chitando.
However, Zimbabwe Miners Federation (ZMF) spokesperson Mr Dosman Mangisi said much was needed to be done with regards to promoting the marketing of base metals.
“As ZMF we are looking more on the base meta l which is a broad s e c tor with a bigger impact also to the economy. In the aspect of chrome, it has been up and down, there is policy hindrance to develop that sector… therefore creating a slow process in the trading of the product,” said Mr Mangisi.
He said there were many base metal minerals that are being extracted by small-scale and artisanal miners which stood to benefit the country upon adding value and beneficiating them.
“Small-scale miners are mining into manganese, they are also mining into tantalite but nothing much is being addressed towards value addition and beneficiation and also the issue of marketing those minerals. Small-scale miners are grounded as I speak with manganese on the ground, some have tantalite they will be busy looking for buyers. We must look forward to invest in the beneficiation of these minerals…,” said Mr Mangisi.
He said there was also a need to resuscitate iron mining as it used to play an integral role in the country’s economy.
“We can also look into iron, it’s a big player to the economy, it was also sustaining Ziscosteel, ZimAlloys, Zimcast, there were also small-scale miners who were mining and supplying to these firms. More must be done towards opening the market and also having an open industrial policy towards investing into mining technology-value addition and beneficiation, on the metallurgical side we still need to do more,” said Mr Mangisi.