PAROON: Precious stones extracted from mines in Afghanistan’s Nuristan province have been sold for more than 52 million Afghanis, local mining officials confirmed.
Mawlavi Sayed Rahim Omir said on Saturday that the gemstones sold included turquoise, kunzite, and morganite.
According to officials, the stones were extracted from the Mawi mining area in the Doab district of Nuristan, although the exact quantity was not disclosed.
Based on the published figures, 10 percent of the total revenue, around 5.2 million Afghanis, has been deposited into the state treasury.
The head of the provincial mines and petroleum department stated that the gemstones were sold to domestic traders through an open bidding process.
Authorities say the extraction and sale of Afghanistan’s precious and semi-precious stones are currently being carried out under transparent contracts and public auctions.