By KENNEDY MUPESENI –
.Copper
ZAMBIA’S copper production has hit 850,000 tonnes, representing an increase of 100,000 in last year’s output.
The increase has been attributed to the stability in the copper prices, which has been hovering around US$7000 throughout the year, thereby boosting morale for the mining houses to revive stalled projects.
According to the Central Statistics Office (CSO) bulletin for December, 2017, Zambia exported and produced about 852,608.7 from 774,000 tonnes recorded in 2016.
Last year, the mining industry and Government pegged their production at 850,000 basing their expectations on the improved electricity supply and attractive copper prices on the international market.
The total production reached 576,128.1, while October and November contributed 76,250,3 and 100,587,3 tonnes while December saw a production of 99,645 tonnes.
Commenting on copper production ramp up, Association of Mine Suppliers and Contractors (AMSC) president Augustine Mubanga said the increase has brightened the future of the mining sector in the country.
“This is a good development, obviously the increase has been necessitated by improved copper prices on the international market, the demand has given impetus to the mining houses to increase production,” he said.
Mr Mubanga however, said despite the improved mining activities in the mining sector, the benefits to the local economy were still minimal due to lukewarm mining business linkages.
“It is the expectation of everyone that if the price of copper is doing well, then they will be activity in the local economy, but the supplying and contracting jobs have been taken over by foreign firms hence less trickle down effect,” he said.
Mr Mubanga said in an interview in Kitwe at the weekend that local suppliers and contractors have the capacity to handle various jobs in the mining industry.
He said there were a lot of mining engineers who have incorporated companies after serving in the mines and yet they were being denied contracting jobs on grounds that they had no capacity.
Mr Mubanga said some of the local contractors have performed well as employees, thus they cannot fail to perform when they are engaged contractors.
