Balochistan mineral industry in need of ample funds.

The present Balochistan government led by Chief Minister Jam Kamal needs to allocate sufficient funds in the budget for next fiscal year 2019-20 for the development of small and medium enterprises in mineral sector. The province is rich in mineral resources. Balochistan has great scope for setting up small and medium enterprises in mineral sector. The government needs to work out a comprehensive plan and strategy to set up such mineral-based units in the province.

Chromite beneficiation plant

The province is endowed with huge reserves of chromite. First discovery was made in 1901 at Muslim Bagh and Khanozai in district Kila Saifullah. Other occurrences of chromite include those of the Ras Koh Range in western Balochistan and Wad deposits of Khuzdar district. Zhob deposits were first discovered by Vredenburg in 1901 during the course of regional reconnaissance mapping of the province. Chromite deposits are characterized by variable sizes and forms. The ore bodies are generally small and average 5,000 to 10,000 tons. In Wad area, chromite is lumpy in nature and of high quality.

In 2003, SMEDA Balochistan proposed a chromite beneficiation plant, capable of producing 15,000 tons of the concentrates by conducting a detailed study on chromite. Chromite is the critical ore, which is used in manufacture of strategic materials. It's wide-range of uses in metallurgical, chemical and refractory industries today, have enhanced its importance as one of the essential element of modern industry. Stainless steel industry is the major consumer of chromite. Stainless steel is the alloy of chromium and iron. The performance of the industry largely determines the demand of chromium. Development of value added projects utilizing indigenous ore, can meet at least the domestic requirements of chromite. The imports of various value added products such as basic refractories, metallurgical products and chromite chemicals far exceeds the earnings from the exports of raw materials.

Basic refractory bricks industry is also the major consumer of chromite. It is used in the production of refractories for its high melting point and high resistance against acids and bases. The chromite refractories have major applications in steel processing, cement processing and glass-making. Chromite is also used as molding medium in foundry industry. Pakistan still meets her domestic requirements by importing ferroalloys, basic refractory bricks and chromite chemicals. With the...