Coal production increases in Northern part of the county

KABUL: (MEP) – The income of the coal sector during the past 9 months compared to the same time the previous year showed an increase of 25% for the country.

The head of the coal sector, Engineer Abdul Khaliq, said, “About 30% of the coal produced in the country is consumed here; the other 70% is exported to neighboring countries, especially Pakistan.”

Officials said, “There are various challenges to improving the extraction of coal in the country such as good excavation and extraction of coal, closing the 25 illegal ways of extraction, strengthening the transportation sector for the transport of the coal, encouraging and training the workers, and having control of the scales for accuracy and transparency.  These are the main factors needed to increase the production of coal in the country.”

The technical deputy of the coal sector, Ali Madad, said, “Still there are people trying to extract coal arbitrarily, especially by powerful figures that operate corruptly.  This doubles up our challenges in improving revenues and delivery of product in the sector.”

500 workers are permanently working in the sector but during the summer season the numbers of the workers reaches all the way to 5000.  They work primarily in four mines including the ones located in Samangan, Baghlan, and Bamyan.