TEHRAN – In the past few years with new resilient economy strategies coming into play, the mining sector has become a major point of focus for the Iranian government and various organizations and bodies active in this sector have been tasked to implement new programs for boosting this sector.

As a major state-owned holding company active in the mining sector in the country, Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization (IMIDRO) has been playing a significant part in the mentioned planning.

The organization has been implementing several new programs in all the main fields of the mining industry including exploration, machinery development, extraction and also reviving the country’s idle mines.

According to the IMIDRO Head Khodadad Gharibpour, IMIDRO has put the development of mines and mining industries on the agenda with three main strategies: increasing exploration operations, developing infrastructure, and reviving the country’s idle small-scale mines.

According to the official, following these major axes, the organization so far has managed to expand the country’s mining exploration operations up to 650,000 square kilometers, while increasing the budget for the development of the mining infrastructure in 31 provinces.

As for achieving new technologies, the organization has put applying modern technology a top agenda of its activity, and cooperation with the country’s renowned universities has become one of the organization’s main approaches to this end.

Gharibpour has stated that his organization supports the research projects required in the industry, saying that paying attention to the scientific subjects and modern technology through cooperation with the universities is seriously followed up by IMIDRO.

The plan to revive, activate, and develop small-scale mines, which is at the forefront of IMIDRO's missions, is also being pursued in several provinces. In this regard, various small-scale mines including chromite, manganese, hematite and dolomite, iron ore, copper, and construction stone mines have been surveyed by monitoring and diagnosing the problems of the mines and providing solutions for resolving the issues.

Following the implementation of the program for reviving idle small mines across Iran, the Industry, Mining, and Trade Ministry has revived 42 such mines in the first five months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20-August 21).

Reviving the small mines not only is a major step toward materializing “Surge in Production”, which is the motto of the current Iranian calendar year it also plays a significant role in job creation throughout the country, according to Gharibpour.

As reported, reviving the small mines has created 300 job opportunities in the first quarter of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20-June 20).

Based on the data released by Iran Minerals Production and Supply Company (IMPASCO), during the mentioned period, 510 mines across the country have been identified and prioritized under the framework of the small-scale mining reviving activation and development program.

Holding more than 10 joint technical committee meetings with investors were reported as other measures taken in this program in the current calendar year.

Gharibpour has mentioned this plan as one of the most significant plans of “Resistance Economy”, saying that IMIDRO is strongly determined to carry out it.

EF/MA