Sudan is expected to produce 50 tonnes of gold this year proceeds of $ 2.5 billion

--> Said Sudanese Minister of Minerals, Kamal Abdul Latif, Sudan is expected to produce about 50 tons of gold this year, with proceeds of $ 2.5 billion in the framework of the country's efforts to compensate for the loss of most of the oil reserves after the south secedes last year.And Sudan will strengthen production gold and other metals in the pursuit of new sources of income the government and the foreign exchange needed to finance imports, which would produce 50 tons to make Sudan's third largest gold producer in Africa after South Africa and Ghana and puts it among the top 15 products of the metal precious in the world.Abdul Latif said, is likely to begin production of a joint venture with Saudi Arabia to exploit reserves of gold and silver and copper in the Red Sea between the two countries in 2014.He informed Abdul Latif conference mining Arab in Khartoum today, Tuesday, that the Sudanese government already granted licenses to more than 85 companies to explore for gold in more than 120 locations inside Sudan, adding that the seven companies have reached the production stage so far, and that number will increase to lesbian end year.He told reporters on the sidelines of the conference, said that gold production in the country until yesterday reached 41 tons in 2013 will be similar to the level expected for this year at around 50 tons, and in 2011 revenues of Sudan about $ 1.5 billion from the export of 33.7 tons of gold.The oil was the main source of income in the country's budget revenues of about five billion dollars annually to the south secedes in July 2011, accounting for three-quarters of oil production but Khartoum still controls the export pipelines, which stretches in the north to the Red Sea coast.And unlike oil, most of proven gold reserves up to the secession of the south are in the north, despite the existence of some of the gold deposits in the south, the data are still few.Sudan production of gold is limited compared with big producers such as South Africa where Western companies have ignored for a long time because of U.S. sanctions and the existence of gold deposits in remote places.But more companies accept the country with higher gold prices .. And bought Egyptian businessman Naguib Sawiris, this year La Mancha Resources Canada, which manages the government with the largest gold mine in Sudan.The company is now investing to exploit deeper reservoirs after depletion of reserves near the surface, and this explains the expectation Sudan stable production next year, said Abdul Latif, Sudan also will produce about 50 thousand tons of chrome this year.He added that the joint venture with Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea, which is now at the stage of exploration can initially produce three to four million tonnes a year.He added that the reservoir reserves exceed 150 or 160 tons of gold in addition to more than a million tons of copper.The Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Ali al-Naimi, who attended the conference this cooperation, but refrained from making predictions.The company benefits of international trade Arabia is the main investor in the project, for which it was established a joint venture with the Canadian Diamond Fields International, and private vessels will be required to explore for mineral extraction, which is believed to exist at a depth of two thousand meters below sea level.The government announced conflicting data on the production of Sudan of gold difficult to verify because many of them come from the exploration informal are smuggled part of their production abroad, and ruled analysts expectations and Minister of Minerals Previous Abdel Baki Jilani that the Sudan is a production of 70 million tonnes of gold in 2011. -->