Zimbabwe earned $381-million from gold exports in the first half of this year, when production totalled 9.6 t.
Sole Gold Trader
In its latest analysis of gold sales and deliveries, Fidelity Printers & Refiners (FPR), the country's sole gold trader, says gold deliveries increased by 25% during the period, while export earnings were more than one-third of the $981-million that the entire mining sector earned.
FPR, a subsidiary of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, says that, including earnings from the platinum-group metals sector, the precious metals sector contributed $412-million to total mineral export earnings.
Deliveries
Further, FPR notes that the remarkable surge in gold deliveries during the first half indicates that Zimbabwe remained on course to achieve its 2016 target output of 24 t.
In 2015, the country produced 18.4 t, which earned $684-million in export revenue.