The government with the collaboration of Pakistan Mineral Development Corporation (PMDC) will launch Soapstone Mining Project (SMP) in Fata to fully exploit the rich minerals potential in tribal areas.
"The project will be launched in Kurram Agency and start production shortly. We are thinking to export soapstone to the rich markets of European Union," Fata Director Minerals Yaqoob Khan said on Sunday.
He said that work on copper enrichment and establishment of prototype plant at Shinkai in North Waziristan was under consideration in collaboration with the Pakistan Science Foundation (PSF) and the University of Science & Technology Peshawar.
The official said the Fata Secretariat had also invited national and multinational companies and firms for exploration of hydrocarbon.
He said about eight million tons copper reserves were existed only in Shinkai and eight million tons reserves of coal existed in Orakzai Agency.
Khan said a scheme of Rs 43 million was under execution with joint venture of PMDC and about 2,000 tons soapstone had so far been mined out of which 55 tons transported to Italy for its qualitative assessment. He added that work on the exploration and development of coal was also underway.
He further said that the Directorate of Mines and Minerals had deposited Rs 178.5 million, which were collected under royalty-head on mineral production. The directorate, he said was making all out efforts for exploration of potential natural resources in Fata.
Khan added the directorate had collected Rs 60.2 million in last financial year as compared to Rs 117.7 million - collected during last 15 years.
During the current fiscal year, he said the collection of royalty was expected to surpass the amount collected during last financial year, adding that the Mineral Directorate of Fata Secretariat was contributing handsome revenue to the national exchequer annually.
The directorate is also working the exploration of many other minerals in Fata. The tribal areas, he said was rich in mineral resources and 19 different metallic, non-metallic minerals, and gemstones had been identified including copper, marble, coal, dolomite, quartz, silica sand, soapstone, emerald, limestone, magnesite, graphite, manganese and gypsum.
Large deposits of marble, dolomite and silica sand have been found in Mohmand Agency; marble and manganese in Bajaur Agency; soapstone and magnesite in Kurram Agency; marble in Khyber Agency; coal in Orakzai Agency; copper in North and South Waziristan agencies; gypsum, decoration stone and limestone in the Frontier Region (FR) of D I Khan.