Browsing: tanzanite

• Tanzanite is so rare that it is only found in one place in the entire world, Tanzania and hence its name, tanzanite
• For years, Tanzania has complained bitterly over how India has been benefitting from the sale of tanzanite, a rare gem
• The mineral's value chain extends far beyond its borders across the seas in India’s city of Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan state.

After decades of smuggling allegations, conspiracies of misappropriation and outright accusations of value theft, Tanzania and India have finally come to common ground on mineral research.

For a long time, Tanzania has lamented how India has been benefitting from the sale of tanzanite, a rare gem. In fact, tanzanite is so rare that it is only found in one place in the entire world, Tanzania and hence its name, tanzanite.

However, Tanzania has, for years now, been exporting raw tanzanite while other countries such as neighbouring…

Tanzanite is a precious stone said to be a thousand times rare than the rarest diamond. True to that claim, the tanzanite gemstone is mined in only one location in the world; a small area in Simanjiro District in Tanzania.

Given the scarcity of tanzanite you would expect that the single mining country, Tanzania would be stock rich, or at least earn the lion’s share of what the gem is valued.

This is not the case. In fact, the exact opposite is true. Tanzanite trade globally earns USD 500 million a year, but Tanzania’s export revenues are a paltry USD 20.75 million, or equivalent to 4.15 percent of the global export value!

Also Read: Tanzania: Small scale miners double in a year

The overwhelming question is why and more importantly how can the situation be resolved? how can Tanzania increase its earnings from its monopoly mining of tanzanite?

The

The number of small-scale miners in mineral-rich Tanzania has more than doubled in a period of less than a year. Mining is the country’s leading revenue earner in terms of foreign export as well as increased government revenue.

The figures were made public by Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa while addressing parliament. He said in the financial year 2020/2021 4,652 mining exploration licenses were issued to small and medium sized miners.

Notably Tanzania is the only country in the world with deposits of the precious stone tanzanite; Tanzania is also one of Africa’s largest gold producers.…