In a packed hall at the Panjshir provincial government office, an auction was in full swing. Buyers, most from Kabul and some from abroad, carefully inspected piles of rough green stones, using phone flashlights to assess their quality. The finest stones drew fierce competition.
"Panjshir emeralds have many buyers around the world because of their very high quality," gem trader Ghulam Mustafa Habibi told Al Jazeera. "That is why their prices are higher than emeralds elsewhere."
When the auction ended, nearly 3,000 carats of gemstones had been sold — the 23rd such sale this year. The total value of emeralds sold in Afghanistan is estimated at nearly 400 million afghani ($6.12 million), a sharp increase over last year.
For a war-ravaged country under international sanctions, the precious minerals sector is a vital resource, especially in the remote mountains of northeastern Afghanistan.
"Fortunately, more than 15,000 people are now working in the mining industry in Panjshir," said Muhammad Aman Rezaii, a mining official who oversees numerous artisanal operations scattered across the valley. He added that they have identified more than 2,000 other mining sites that could be developed.
On steep mountainsides, miners work long hours underground to make a living. In the barren, rocky landscape, gemstones are a lifeline. "There are almost no companies or manufacturing plants here. The main source of jobs is mining," Rezaii said.
Since seizing power in 2021, the Taliban say they have signed agreements with dozens of investors, mainly from China, Russia and Iran, to extract gemstones and other precious minerals. According to the World Bank, state revenue rose 22 percent year-on-year in April and May, driven by mining auctions and resources such as oil and precious minerals.
However, Afghanistan's gemstone mining industry still lacks investment and international expertise. "There have been many proposals to establish an international market for Afghanistan's precious minerals, especially in Kabul," said Hafiz Muhammad Agha Hakim, the governor of Panjshir province. "Processing machinery could be brought in so that minerals are treated and standardized here before being exported to world markets. At present, there is no standardization center or proper processing facility."
Back inside the dust-filled, almost pitch-black mine shaft, miner Mahdi wielded a crowbar while a companion beside him struck the rock face with a hammer. He complained about the lack of modern equipment. "There are many challenges because we don't have advanced equipment. We work only with basic tools like shovels, pickaxes, drills and the like," he said during a break.
Rezaii said miners need proper equipment to make the work easier and safer, and to allow more professional extraction. "This would benefit the people of Afghanistan and especially the miners," he said. "This area is prone to landslides, avalanches, floods and falling rocks. People here are working in extremely difficult and harsh conditions."
