Azerbaijan, Baku, Jan. 16 / Trend F.Mehdi /
Iran's proven gold reserves stand at 320 tons, IRNA quoted deputy industry minister, Masoud Movahhedi, as saying.
He added that five gold mines are ready to be transferred to te private sector.
Iran gold production currently stands at 2-2.5 tones per year, Deputy Industry, Mine, and Trade Minister Vajihollah Jafari said in October 2012.
It is while some reports in September had put Iran's gold output at 4 tons a year.
Iran will soon start gold extraction works on three new gold mines in Iran's Kurdistan province, Jafari added.
Jafari said that the mines will be transferred to the private sector next month, so the companies would begin their work there, adding that that there are some 16 tons of gold in all three mines, which would cost around $1,305 billion.
Jafari said that the works on the Kurdistan gold mines would help to boost and increase annual production of gold in the country, which currently stands at 2-2,5 tons per year.
"Within the fifth development plan, Iran should be extracting some 5 tons of gold per year. Adding the three new gold mines of Kurdistan, and also Takab gold mine in Western Azerbaijan province and Bazman gold mine in Sistan & Baluchestan province, Iran should be able to produce these 5 tons of gold next year," Jafari said.
Iran currently has gold mines in Sistan & Baluchestan, Khorasan Razavi, East Azerbaijan, West Azerbaijan, Kurdistan provinces, and also a joint gold mine in Isfahan and Markazi provinces.
According to country's Geology and Mineral Exploration Organization, country's total proven and probable gold reserves stand at 320 tons after discovering three new gold reserves with 16 tons of proven net gold deposits in April.
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