Officials from the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum announced Sunday that its revenues have increased more than six times.

According to officials, the revenue of the ministry totalled 17 billion afghanis in the solar year 1401, while it was 2.5 billion afghanis in 1400.

Identifying and surveying new mines, attracting domestic and foreign investment, calling for tenders for the extraction of dozens of small and large mines and creating a processing system inside the country are among the tasks that the ministry intends to perform this year.

Officials also hope that copper mining at Mes Aynak in Logar will start this year and that there will be progress in the implementation of TAPI project.

“The work on the pipeline between Turghundi and Guzereh district of Herat is going on. Work on the land acquisition and budget is ongoing. There is no problem in this regard,” Zia al-Rahman Aryobi, deputy minister of mines and petroleum for planning and policy, said in a press conference.

Nangarhar marble and talc, Herat iron and steel, Kandahar Shurandam cement, Herat marble and granite, Takhar gold, Sar-e-pul Qashqari oil, Shaberghan pipeline to Mazar-e-Sharif and Sarpol coal are projects that are ongoing.

“Sanctions against the Islamic Emirate remain in place. There is a lack of funds. Meeting costs is a big challenge. Allah willing, all these problems will be solved. We assure you that the leaders of the Islamic Emirate are committed. They are working day and night to improve the situation of the mining sector,” Aryobi said.

The Ministry of Mines and Petroleum says lack of infrastructure and expertise as well as the lack of cooperation among institutions are among the challenges it is facing.

“The main problems are the lack of infrastructure, the lack of sufficient funds for surveying mines and building infrastructure, and the lack of cooperation between the relevant institutions,” Homayoun Afghan, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum, said.

However, the Ministry has increased its efforts to attract domestic and foreign investments, and some foreign investors from several countries have announced readiness to invest in Afghanistan’s mines.

“We have more coal mining in Baghlan, Takhar, Sar-e-pul and Samangan. Among these, Samangan is a province where mining is more [prevalent] compared to other provinces. Thousands of citizens are working there,” Mohammad Rasool Oqab, head of the revenue department of the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum, said.

Afghanistan’s untapped mineral deposits could be worth up to $3 trillion.