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Gold discovered in 21 provinces of Iran

Business Materials 22 February 2019 12:16 (UTC +04:00)

Tehran, Iran, Feb.22

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The Chairman of Jewelry Manufacturers & Exporters Union of Iran said that Iran's share of the gold business in the world is 0.002 percent, Trend reports citing ILNA.

He said that Iran could earn some $450 million in the regional market.

“Iran is among the top seven countries of the world's gold and jewelry industry and is among the first 10 gold-consumer countries. Of the 31 provinces of the country, 30 provinces have precious stones and the gold is found in 21 provinces, while only three mines are active now,” said the Chairman of Jewelry Manufacturers & Exporters Union of Iran, Hojjat Shafaie.

"Most of our equipment is imported, and we cannot compete with countries like India and Turkey, so we need to facilitate our exports," he said.

“The economic crisis and exchange rate fluctuations have increased the production cost in this sector,” he said. “In addition, the issuance of multiple policies and various taxes, has greatly diminished the margin of profit.”

“The gold sanctions are imposed against Iran and Iranians cannot buy gold with Iranian passports,” he noted.

Shafaie added that there are about 15,000 gold manufacturing units in the country, but due to internal and external sanctions, there are certain problems encountered by producers.

“In addition, at the beginning of the year (started in March of 2018), the Central Bank pre-sold gold coins, which led to the drop of liquidity. The central bank's actions have led the gold industry to decline,” he said.

"Unfortunately, there are no facilities in this sector. For example, a machine with a price of $20,000 in Italy will cost here $60,000. It is while making a kilo of gold can create jobs for two people,” he said.

“A country like India produces 500 tons of gold per year, and a country like Saudi Arabia consumes 500 tons of gold a month. These are the capacities that our country can use,” Shafaie believes.

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