Azerbaijan, Baku, Feb.12/ Trend F.Milad
Iran produced 142,500 tons of lead and zinc during the first 10 months of the current Iranian calendar year which began on March 20, 2012.
The amount shows a 7.8 per cent increase compared to the same period last year, Mehr News Agency reported.
The total output of zinc and lead amounted to 15,000 tons in the tenth calendar month of Dey.
Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organisation (IMIDRO) announced in November, 2012, that the zinc ingot production capacity of the Bandar Abbas Zinc Production Factory will reach 18,000 tons by the end of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20).
Iran holds three per cent of the world's mineral reserves putting the country first in the Middle East and third in Asia.
Iran is ranked among the 15 major mineral-rich countries of the world and exports industrial and mineral products to 159 countries, including Iraq, China, the United Arab Emirates, India and Afghanistan.
The important Iranian mines include coal, metallic minerals, sand and gravel, chemical minerals and salt. Iran has the world's largest zinc and second largest copper deposits and ranks ninth for its iron reserves.