The Ministry of Mines and Petroleum (MoMP) has signed contracts for five nephrite mines of Kunar province that were put up for bidding by national companies.

Speaking at the auction ceremony, the Minister of Mines and Petroleum, Shahabuddin Delawar, said that the companies won the bidding based on free competition.

“The smuggling of [mines] has been prevented. We are paying our efforts in this regard, and we will see how much income we will get from these mines,” he said.

The mines are located in Khas Kunar district of the province.

The officials of the companies which won the bidding pledged to provide work opportunities for the residents through extraction of mining.

“We are trying to provide work opportunities for the Afghans because Afghans are facing a lack of employment,” said Noor Zahid Momand, head of a company.

“The process was transparent under the eyes of the delegations. After the process is completed by the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum, we will begin our work,” said Mohammad Haroon Momand, head of a company.

Based on the statistics of the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum, mining contributes a significant amount of national income. Afghanistan earned 10.5 billion Afs in revenue from the mines last year, according to the MoMP.