Kazakhstan leads in uranium production

Kazakhstan is Number One in the world by uranium production. Last year the country produced 21,317 tons of uranium, a leading expert of managing company Finam Management company Dmitry Baranov told Tengrinews. Canada, Australia, Niger, Namibia, Russia, Uzbekistan, the U.S., China and Malawi are other leading uranium producers of 2012. According to deputy director of the analytical department of Alpari company Darya Zhelannova, Kazakhstan is the second in the world by uranium reserves. Kazakhstan is Number One in the world by reserves of zinc, chrome, tungsten and vanadium ores. It is third in the world by reserves of asbestos, wallastonite, rhenium and manganese, fourth in the world by the deposits of lead, sixth by reserves of phosphorites and gas, seventh by deposits of iron ores, silver and oil, ninth by reserves of coal, copper and gold. Besides, Zhelannova says that Kazakhstan has commercial reserves of 3 types of ferrous, 29 types of nonferrous and 2 types of precious metals. “Kazakhstan indeed has significant reserves of different natural resources but their large-scale production has not started yet. It is possible that with the full-scale production of these minerals, Kazakhstan will gradually gain lines in the rating among the leading producers, but this will happen gradually, not overnight,” the Finam Management analyst said. Meanwhile, Baranov added that China produced the most amount of gold in 2012: 370 tons. Other gold producers include in the descending order: Australia, the U.S., Russia, South Africa, Peru, Canada, Indonesia, Uzbekistan and Ghana. Mexico produced the most amount of silver in 2012: 4.25 thousand tons. Other leading silver producers include China, Peru, Australia, Russia, Bolivia, Poland, Chile, the U.S. and Canada. Chile leads in copper production in 2012: 5.37 million tons. Other copper producers are: China, Peru, the U.S., Australia, Russia, Zambia, Congo, Canada and Mexico. By Azhar Ashirova