Speaking at the monthly luncheon at the American Chamber of Commerce (Amcham-DR), the Director General of Mining, Alexander Medina, said that the Dominican Republic has probable mineral reserves of over US$60 billion, calculated at today’s prices and that this year it will provide around 2% of GDP.
He said if you included the new sites at San Juan and Restauracion that are earmarked for development, mining could contribute up to 3% of GDP.
He said that mining was a real opportunity for the country and had positive effects on communities with the level of employment it provided.
He also mentioned non-metallic mining, where 50 companies are in operation with cement, zinc carbonate, gypsum, ceramics and gemstones. Medina said that the cement industry employs 15,000 workers nationally and produces around 4,000 metric tons a year, for international as well as national use.
He also highlighted the country’s 21 small mining operations, employing around 3,000 people and mining gold, amber, larimar, marble, gypsum, alabaster and limestone. He felt there was a great opportunity to increase these ventures and said that his office would be assisting them technically and financially.
www.listindiario.com/economia-y-negocios/2013/1/30/264176/Reservas-mineras-del-pais-pasan-de-US60000-MM