DUSHANBE, 30.03.2023 (NIAT Khovar) – The working visit of the Founder of Peace and National Unity — Leader of the Nation, President of the Republic of Tajikistan, Honorable Emomali Rahmon to the Sughd Province continued in the city of Istiklol.

In the city of Istiklol, the President of the country, Emomali Rahmon, laid the foundation stone for the construction of the second phase of the metallurgical enterprise for the production of lead, silver and copper.

The industrial enterprise will be built on the basis of the direct instructions of the great Leader of the Nation Emomali Rahmon on the basis of a favorable investment climate in the country by the LLC «Tajikistan-China Mining-Industrial Company».

The construction period of the enterprise is planned until the end of 2024.

During the presentation of the project of the enterprise, it was informed that the construction of industrial facilities is planned based on the support of the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan in order to contribute more to the implementation of the fourth strategic goal — the accelerated industrialization of the country and the «Years of Industrial Development», 2022-2026.

30 hectares of land has been allocated for the construction of the main building of the silver and copper production enterprise in the territory of the Metallurgical Enterprise of the city of Istiklol.

The Honorable Head of state Emomali Rahmon was informed about the construction project of the enterprise that 50 million US dollars is planned for the complete construction and equipment of the facility.

The manufactured products are metallic lead of 99.99%, silver of 99.99% and copper of 45%. The new industrial capacity in the city of Istiklol will be the production of electrolytic lead in the amount of 30 thousand tons, electrolytic silver in the amount of 50 tons and copper matte in the amount of 600 tons for the amount of 104.1 million somoni per year.

The Tajikistan-China Mining and Industrial Company plans to invest 400 million US dollars in the implementation of various projects in the country during 2023-2026 and increase the number of employees in all relevant sectors to 5,000 people. Increasing the volume of mining and processing of ore to 6 million tons, putting into operation the second phase of the metallurgical plant for the production of lead, silver and copper, a new enrichment plant with a capacity of two million tons are considered important parts of the investment in the next few years.

It should be said that this company was founded in the Republic of Tajikistan in 2007, and during more than 15 years of operation, it has directly invested more than 600 million dollars in the economy of our country. Currently, the extraction of minerals with an annual capacity of 4 million tons has been established in the Zarnisor mine. In addition, the activation of the new production plant with the processing volume of 50 thousand tons of products will allow to increase the number of employees from the current 4 thousand to 8 thousand in the next three years. Until 2022, this company has paid taxes in the amount of 5 billion somoni.

Honorable Head of state Emomali Rahmon tasked the republican officials and representatives of development partners to carry out the construction and equipping of the enterprise on time and with high quality. It was emphasized that the city of Istiklol has a lot of capacity and opportunities for building new industrial enterprises. In case of construction of production enterprises, the volume of industrial products will increase, and the problem of providing employment to citizens will find a solution, which is compatible with the goals of the state leadership and the Government of the country.

Targeted use of mineral resources, attraction of direct capital for the development of this prospective sector of the national economy, processing of local raw materials to bring them to the final product and other issues related to the rapid industrialization of the country during the presentation of the opportunities of the industrial enterprise in the city of Istiklol drew the special attention of the President of the Republic of Tajikistan, Emomali. Rahmon.

The foundation of a metallurgical enterprise in the Tajikistan-China Industrial Zone in the city of Istiklol is considered a serious step towards the rapid industrialization of the country, and its first phase was launched in 2017 with the participation of the Honorable Head of state Emomali Rahmon with a production capacity of 50 thousand tons of lead and zinc metal per year.

The role of this large production enterprise will be effective in the development of the national industry, the strengthening of production capacity, the creation of new jobs and ensuring the well-being of the residents.

In this region, two metallurgical plants for the production of lead and zinc, factories for the production of spare parts for the mining industry, sulfuric acid and batteries will be built in the third phase.

A lead smelter, a storage facility, a flue gas purification workshop, a coal dust production workshop, a zinc storage facility, a water treatment base, a lead and electrolyte workshop, and other auxiliary facilities complete the activity of this industrial capacity of the country. Production at the enterprise is carried out in three stages, and raw materials for the production of lead and zinc are obtained from the Zarnisor mine.

It was emphasized that the rugged mountains of Tajikistan are a unique resource of minerals. According to experts’ estimates, there are currently more than 400 mineral and non-mineral sites in the country, 214 of which are located in the territory of Sughd Province. Mines of lead and zinc, gold and silver, copper and coal and dozens of other places are registered as national wealth, and their rational processing contributes to ensuring a decent life for the population.

It was assured that in case of effective use of existing industrial capacities, the city of Istiklol can become one of the largest industrial regions of the country and make a valuable contribution to the implementation of the goal of turning Tajikistan into an industrial country.