Publications
Partners
Harare - The Zimbabwean government is planning to reintroduce a ban on raw chrome exports less than two years after it was lifted, according to a government official.
Minister of Mines and Mining Development Walter Chidhakwa told a press briefing on Thursday that the country would generate more revenue if value addition on chrome is taking place.
He said receipts of raw chrome exports in 2016 were grossly undercut compared to what the country would have earned after value addition.
Chidhakwa said beneficiation of chrome is the best way to go, if power prices could be made favourable to chrome smelters. He added that the cost of power takes up 40% of total costs for running a furnace.
“We can’t attract ferrochrome smelters with such high power costs. We need tariffs to be reduced to anything below four cents per kilowatt hour,” he said.
Meanwhile Chidhakwa said the entire Great Dyke has been gazetted as a reserved area, and chrome mining claims can only be accessed by special grants.
Chrome mining in the country is mainly concentrated on Great Dyke, which is estimated to host about 1 billion tons of unproven reserves.
