The economist Takings Carrasco Lara considers that the informal operation of gold, activity with long tradition in the south of Guayana, merits special attention like the decreased industrial auriferous production.

“A policy with respect to the auriferous mining does not exist. The Law of Mines of year 1999 is effective, but the Executive has taken some measures based on this law, isolated and not sometimes incoherent - like the granting of leave of exploration for some concessions and later declaration of lapsing for the same concessions that have originated confusion and loss of heart in the economic agents”, he exposes in an interview to Mail of the Caroní Tomás Carrasco Lara, that evolved soon in years 80 like manager of Administration of CVG Minerven and in auriferous the private sector with transnational the Canadian Gold Inc. Reserves

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Carrasco Lara: “The policy of `concesiones' does not make difficult the originating financing of the outside”

Not existing in Venezuela a market of capitals for investments of high risk, this option would be closed.

By exclusion, it would be in charge of the State the financing of the mining of gold, especially in his phase of exploratory. The State would have then that to clarify its disposition to assume this roll”.

The auriferous production has decreased years in the last. The state CVG Minerven hoped to produce 8 thousand kilograms of gold in the 2010, but a production of 1,837 kilograms only obtained a 23% of the goal when reaching. From 2007, the programming is not reached.

Transnational like Rusoro Mining they have noticed a low production due to the necessity to repatriate the dividends obtained after the export of 50% of the auriferous production, situation that has limited the investments. The workers of the company, Russian capital, have recently asked for the starting of the mining project Incredible the 6, consequently would have major financial stability.

Generally, in the 2010, the mineral production backed down 7%, in agreement with the memory and counts of the Ministry of Basic Industries and Mining (Mibam). When realising the analysis by mineral, detected falls in the volume of production of all the minerals, being the most excellent in their diminution phosphate (77%), makes shine like diamonds (73%), feldspar (48%), quartz (47%), gold (39%), ferruginous laterita (33%), coal (17%), nickeliferous mineral (15%) and bauxite (12%) with respect to the 2009.

Measures like the regime of commercialization of gold, fixed by the Central bank of Venezuela (BCV), that - it assures have caused to malaise and getting up some noise in the industrial portion of the auriferous mining “and the absence of a policy clearly defined, without vaguenesses nor omissions, have originated an atmosphere of uncertainties and contradictions, little propitious for the productive activity”.

- It thinks that an efficient policy in the mining sector exists?

- A policy with respect to the auriferous mining does not exist. The Law of Mines of year 1999 is effective, but the Executive has taken some measures, not based on this Law, isolated and sometimes incoherent - like the granting of leave of exploration for some concessions and later declaration of lapsing for the same concessions that have originated confusion and loss of heart in the economic agents.

- The quote of gold in the international markets climbs every day and reached the week last to 1,852 US$ the ounce. With these prices record, what opportunities we are letting pass in auriferous matter?

- The industrial mining confronts production problems. Therefore, there is no profiteer in all their intensity the scalings of prices of gold. However, the production of the informal mining, due to its versatility, moves based on the prices of gold. These circumstances have allowed that this class of mining are better profiteer the persistent increases of the quote of the metal. We think that the diminutions of the production brought about by the Caura Plan, have not influenced significantly in the financial surpluses that it has determined the bullish tendency of the price.

Small mining
In order to design a mining policy, Carrasco considers that aspects vital not only of the industrial mining must be considered, but also of the small mining. “For several decades oriented measures are taken to solve the problem of the informal mining. Very little it has been obtained. The problem is complex and has many aspects”.

The economist aims that the informal mining has one long tradition in the south of Guayana and, therefore, comprises of the culture of these communities. “The economy of these towns in depends before on this activity - more than now”, says much, when adding that the informal mining acquires its consumptions in the local commerce and commercializes the production in the same locality.

Besides moving the economy of the south, it alleviates the pressures of the unemployed ones, assures.

Light minerals
“We must change the mining policy so that it is an alternative activity for the oil income. The strategy is that we plan a policy for the mining activity”, expressed minister of Basic Industries and Minería, Jose Khan, in July.

Although civil servants of the Executive, are outstanding the necessity that the gold is an alternative in front of petroleum, their participation is reduced if the income of the nation are considered.

The originating income of the operation of the iron and other minerals - nickel, coal, gold, bauxite and diamond ascend to 354.3 million bolivars and represent only 0.1% of budget 2011. The thickness of the income to the state treasury comes in 56,8% of the tributary source.

The oil income represent 22.2% of the total of resources and 27.7% of the ordinary current income.

Depressed state production

The transfer of the international gold reserves has ignited the debate around the sector, more when the president of the Republic, Hugo Chavez, announces the nationalization of gold. The holder of the Mibam, Jose Khan, indicated that the Law of the Gold will be written up that “will reserve to the Venezuelan State the activity of operation and exploration, in addition, will regulate the mixed companies”.

“They are going away to obtain the necessary resources for greater investment, improvement of the plants and under these conditions one is going away to improve the quality of life of the workers”.

The economist Carrasco Takings Rockrose assures that until does not need what aspects will include the nationalization, “is not possible to define if this measurement will be the spine of a policy clearly defined or if it is a legal instrument more, without the joint necessary to constitute what in property it can denominate itself political of the auriferous mining”.

Doubts arise, in addition, when it is clear - according to the Memory and Account 2010 of the Mibam- that state the auriferous Minerven could not reach its productive goal by “low availability of equipment, lack of materials and spare parts, and I leave behind technological that entails to an obsolescence of 92%”.