So far in 2024, Dominican Republic has exported 55,000 pounds of larimaraccording to statistics from the certifications of no objection to the export of that stone, granted by the Ministry of Energy and Mines.
This was indicated by the director of Mining Promotion of that institution, Golye Latoufe.
“The numbers are not so clear to me, because those taxes paid for exports are managed through the General Directorate of Customs and according to our regulations. Now, we as an institution issue a no objection certificate for exports exceeding fifty-five thousand pounds of larimar, according to our resolution, number 035 of 2022,” he said.
He added: “That resolution establishes that to export larimar or amber, if the larimar exceeds five pounds, it requires a certificate and if the amber exceeds eight ounces, because it is lighter, a resin.
He reiterated that, from this year’s statistics, to date more than 55,000 pounds of the stone have been exported through this mechanism, “that have been exported to China (about 70 percent) and the rest distributed in Swiss Peru, and also India”.
Beyond extraction
Asked about the initiatives promoted by the government linked to the larimarthe official indicated that they seek to improve the value chain.
“We want to intervene not only from the extraction, but until we have the final product such as a piece of art or a garment. We have addressed the issue of the sector larimar as a whole without losing focus on the parts that make it up,” he said.
Develop educational program for miners.
The official cited the plans of security and health in the mine larimar located in Barahona, as part of the initiatives to improve the conditions of these workers.
“In the case of the issue of security and healthwe exhausted much of this plan that involves an education program. Now each one of the miners They were educated on issues of security basics, then we go deeper and provide specialized training to a group of miners to form emergency response and crisis management brigades,” Latoufe explained.
According to the director of Mining Promotion, Energy and Mines is scheduled to open one technical office within the mine area to be able to provide permanent support to the workers.
“Right now what we do is we come continuallybut we do not have that permanence, which we will achieve when we have the office. And we have taken control of the mine in the sense that there is a sentry box, restricted access,” he said.
He added that to enter the mine there must be a justification, “that is, that he is a miner, knowing the role he is going to play within the area. And we have the security checkpoint also that it is working today.
National Day of the Larimar
This Friday, November 22 is commemorated in Dominican Republic he National Day of the Larimarestablished by Law 17-18.
The aforementioned law indicates that the declaration “responds to the date on which the priest Miguel Domingo Fuertes discovered the stone in 1916, whose deposit is located in the area The ChupaderosThe Chechesses section, Philippine HillBarahona province”.
Through its website, the General Directorate of Mining details that this “mineral belongs to the group of silicates. The name comes from ancient Greek pect what does it mean “well united”. It is a variety of pectolite, alluding to the groups of crystals ranging from a very pale blue almost whitedark blue and sometimes deep turquoise, its beautiful appearance is due, according to experts, to its volcanic origin.
