(MENAFN- AzerNews)
mining is a crucial sector for the development of countries and
could be a driving force for the Turkish economy. Sector
representatives highlight Turkiye's total mineral assets, worth
$3.5 trillion, and state that mining activities could help close
the current deficit. Experts note that 70 out of the 90 minerals
traded globally are found in Turkiye and assert, "Societies that
are unaware of their riches become poor guardians of valuable
resources. Without discovering minerals, mining cannot proceed and
making exploration and extraction activities impossible will leave
us dependent on foreign sources for raw materials and energy,
continuing to pay tens of billions of dollars annually."
According to Dr Muhterem Köse, an expert in mining engineering,
developed countries that efficiently use their natural resources
largely owe their economic power to this. Köse cites the USA as the
best example, where the economy generates an annual added value of
$3.8 trillion from $105 billion worth of ore and $45 billion worth
of scrap. In 2023, Turkey paid a total of $145.2 billion for
energy, mining, metal, and intermediate product imports, with $106
billion of the external deficit attributed to these products.
Sector representatives emphasize that developed countries
benefit from the driving force of mining. They argue, "Turkiye's
industrialization and development will be possible with increased
consumption of metals and energy, which are essential for
production. We must either import the energy, raw materials, and
metals we need, or we must utilize our own potential. There is no
other choice. We cannot become a developed and strong country
without reducing our dependency on external sources for energy, raw
materials, intermediate goods, and technology."
However, the sector faces challenges with the permit and
approval processes. Sector representatives state, "There are 9
ministries, 21 institutions, 7 laws, 87 regulations, 8 statutes,
and 16 international agreements regulating mining in Turkiye,
creating significant difficulties. A regulation is needed where
permits can be processed from a single point."
Turkiye's foreign trade deficit from energy and minerals stands
at $100 billion, with $60 billion stemming from imports of
minerals, metals, and gold alone. Sector representatives highlight
Turkiye's substantial underground wealth, stating that achieving
$100 billion in exports with value-added production is a long-term
goal.
Turkiye is the world's largest exporter of marble, feldspar, and
travertine, the second-largest exporter of chrome ore, the largest
producer and exporter of boron, the third-largest producer and
exporter of natural stone, the eighth-largest producer of zinc, the
10th-largest producer of lead, and ranks 11th in global gold
reserves. This potential should be harnessed through new
explorations and investments. Erol Yüce, Vice Chairman of the
Istanbul Mineral Exporters' Association (İMİB), emphasizes the need
to support exporters in this process. Turkiye achieved $4.258
billion in exports in the first nine months of 2023 and recorded a
3.91% increase, reaching $4.424 billion in mineral exports from
January to September 2024. China made the largest mineral purchase
from Turkiye during this period, with $1.259 billion.
Exports to China increased by 10.36%, while exports to the USA,
which ranked second, decreased by 0.26% to $377 million. Exports to
Bulgaria, which ranked third, increased by 43.45% to $320 million.
In the first nine months of 2024, there was an 18.45% increase in
metallic ore exports compared to the previous year, reaching $1.706
billion.
No country can develop without utilizing its underground
resources, and there is no country in the world where mining is
banned. Therefore, Turkey must extract its minerals, enrich them,
convert them into value-added products, and provide them to the
country's industry. The supply of minerals and metals needed by
industry is crucial for national security and the defense industry,
particularly rare earth elements, which are vital in new
technologies today.
Investment will not come to a country without raw materials.
China, which has become the largest buyer and seller of all kinds
of minerals produced worldwide, has attracted $3 trillion in
foreign investment over 25 years. Mining also plays a vital role in
local development; the discovery of new mining areas improves local
employment, infrastructure, and social life, with revenues
benefiting the public.
In summary, mining has a significant place in our future.
Without mines, many tools and equipment we use today would not
exist. To produce a car, for example, at least 10 tons of ore must
be extracted from the earth's crust.
Turkiye is rich in mineral resources such as boron salts,
barite, gypsum, meerschaum, marble, diatomite, perlite, magnesite,
strontium salts, sepiolite, fluorite, limestone, pumice, sodium
sulfate, zeolite, profilite, quartz-quartzite, lignite, feldspar,
rock salt, olivine, doomite, siliscum, gold, bentonite, trona,
asbestos, calcite, and emery stone. Other important resources
include kaolin, carbon dioxide, chrome, molybdenum, bauxite,
nepheline syenite, mercury, REE, diatomite, trass, antimony,
thorium, alunite, sand-gravel, silver, peat, brick soil, and
wolfram. Insufficient mineral resources in Turkey include copper,
manganese, graphite, dye soils, lead, aluminum, coal, zircon, zinc,
arsenic, talc, titanium, iron, sulfur, mica, nickel, phosphate, and
clay minerals.
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