MRA: Capacity building in sector will benefit country

Business

CAPACITY building in the alluvial mining sector will allow its full potential to be realised to benefit the country, according to the Mineral Resources Authority.
The authority is facilitating this through the planned third PNG Alluvial Mining Convention and Trade Show 2016 next month in Goroka, according to deputy manager technical assessment branch Margaret Aulda.
“The convention is an initiative that the Mineral Resources Authority (MRA) started in 2014 to get all the parties involved in the alluvial mining sector such as the miners, distributors of equipment, gold exporters and regulators all under one roof,” she said
“So we provide this avenue where they can come together to discuss and improve the sector.”
The theme this year is ‘Mechanising the alluvial industry’.
“Alluvial mining is basically panning and sluicing at present and the MRA is encouraging miners to move forward with technology and mechanise their methods,” Aulda said.
Aulda told The National that the alluvial mining sector allowed for the creation of  small to medium enterprises, which the MRA facilitated with other issues related to alluvial mining through the convention and trade show.
“MRA recognises that the alluvial sector is a SME sector and we along with the Government want to promote that sector,” she said.