Tajikistan - Mining
Tajikistan was significant to world mineral markets as a gold producer. It also possessed the largest deposits of antimony in the former Soviet Union, and had more than 400 explored mineral deposits, containing 70 types of minerals. Aluminum, zinc, lead, chemicals, fertilizers, and cement were the top industries in 2002, and aluminum was the country's leading export commodity.
In 2000, gold production was 2,700 kg (3,000 in 1998 and 1,100 in 1996); gypsum, 35,000 tons (31,700 in 1998); and antimony, 2,000 tons (1,000 in 1996). Tajikistan also produced bismuth, lead, mercury, silver, cement, and fluorspar. No copper, molybdenum, tungsten, or zinc has been produced in recent years. The Darvaz joint venture did not mine for gold in 1997– 1999, because its equipment was severely damaged by hostilities in the region. Gold was mined southeast of Gharm, in the Pamir Mountains, in the Yakhsu Valley, in Chkalovsk, and in the Jilau, Taror, and Aprelevka deposits; mercury was mined at the Dzhizhikrutskoye deposit, north of Dushanbe; antimony, at Isfara and Dzhizhikrutskoye; arsenic, cadmium, tungsten, and lead-zinc, in the Yuzhno-Yangikanskiy deposit, north of the Zeravshan River; and uranium and graphite, northeast of Khudzhand. Uranium mining ceased in the mid-1980s.
Other metal and industrial resources included alunite, bauxite, iron, manganese, nepheline syenite, nickel, rare metals, selenium, strontium, tin, barite, boron, construction materials, dolomite, phosphates, precious and semiprecious stones, and salt.