(Ecofin Agency) - Over 2017’s first eight months, Zimbabwe’s gold output rose by 10% to 14.6 tons. Based on official data relayed by Reuters, the increase is due to better performances of informal small producers.

Statistics from Fidelity Printers and Refiners, branch of the central bank which purchases all of the country’s gold production, small producers produced 7.2 tons of gold over the period reviewed, against 5.5 t the year before. Meanwhile, output of big producers slumped from 7.8 t to 7.4 t.

Moreover, August was so far the most profitable month with a production of 2.5 t, against 2 t in July.

Besides gold, Zimbabwe exports platinum. In fact, it has Africa’s second largest platinum reserve.

Louis-Nino Kansoun