Production of tantalite, a highly valued and rare mineral sought after by the electronics industry, fell by 3% in 2023, below the targets set by the Mozambican government.
Tantalite is a mineral made up of niobium and tantalum, sought after for its application in the electronics industry, in mobile phones and capacitors, due to its resistance to heat and other properties.
According to 2023 budget execution data released by the Ministry of Economy and Finance, production in the period in question reached 204.8 tonnes, compared to 244.7 tonnes in 2022.
The document recalls that in 2022 the country planned to produce 251.3 tonnes of the mineral, while in 2021 it extracted just 178.5 tonnes and in 2020 just over 209.
However, for 2024, Mozambique expects to break its production record, approaching 270 tonnes in one year.
The government is forecasting a growth rate of 7%, largely due to the high production levels of licence 724C held by the British mining company Highland African Mining Company (HAMC), the largest producer of this mineral in the country.
In 2002, HAMC signed a concession agreement to exploit this mineral in Mozambique.
