Head of İMİB Board of Directors, Aydın Dinçer: “Our Life is Mineral. Because mineral is the raw material of all industries. We have to process minerals.”
Istanbul Mineral Exporters’ Association (İMİB) organized the 2nd edition of “Our Life is Mineral” workshop, in order to discuss issues such as creating higher added value in the sector, increasing sustainable global competition power in export, evaluation of sectoral problems and solutions and create a road map in line with these main objectives, in Antalya. In the workshop, which was organized under the leadership of the Ministry of Commerce and Ministry, and Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, the topics discussed for the future of the sector were “Mining in the World and Turkey”, “Mining Law and the Effects of Changes in the Law to the Sector”, and “Sustainable Mining”
“Our Life is Mineral”
Aydın Dinçer, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of İMİB, explained the framework of the event, where important topics such as the importance of mining, legislation, sustainable mining, occupational safety, environment and public perception were discussed, as follows: “Mining is a very difficult profession. Our quarries that we have been working for many years are among the most important facilities in Turkey, like the other industrial organizations. The cancellation of licenses in case of violations puts an end to our businesses. There is no such implementation in any of the other industrial sectors. The licenses of quarries should not be cancelled due to violations. We need to make a new mineral law together with all NGO’s and the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources. Each product produced in pharmaceuticals, agriculture, glass, ceramics, construction, technology, automotive, chemistry, steel, energy, jewelry and clothing sectors is derived from minerals and minerals are for human. If we want these industries to develop, we have to process our mines. We should have a macro perspective and provide information to the public. Furthermore, although the mineral sector uses only 2,5 per thousand of the forest fields in Turkey, 58% of the income of the Forestry Ministry is derived from the mining sector.”
World-Class Mining
The General Director of Mining and Petroleum Affairs (MAPEG), Mehmet Bıçkıcı stated that the public sector had a new regulation and the general directorates were restructured. Bıçkıcı, who pointed out the importance of “The National Energy and Mining Policy”, said: “Under the policy, we will work towards strengthening the mineral sector, which is one of the most important sectors of our economy, by building a world-class structure. We will do our best in order to increase the share of mineral sector in GDP.”
Auditions Increased by 24 Percent
Mithat Cansız, Deputy Minister of Energy and Natural Resources; “We have been working towards increasing the share of the mineral sector in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) from 1 percent to over 3 percent in the medium term. Our aim is to create a mineral sector with international qualifications. This is an easily accessible goal for us. In 2018, we audited 11 thousand 95 mining quarries at 8 thousand 88 mining sites. We achieved an increase of 24 percent in the number of inspections in comparison to 2017.”
The Level of Life Loss in Accidents Reduced by % 59
Emphasizing that the number of life loss in accidents have decreased by 59 percent compared to the previous year, Cansız mentioned that they established the Mining Education Center in order to ensure the development of the mining sector. He further said: “We have prepared geochemical maps to be a sub-base for mine exploration and research activities within the MTA General Directorate and we have initiated airborne geophysical studies. In 2018, we conducted 1.5 million meters of exploration activities. We also increased the mining activities in the international arena.”
Evaluation of Marble Residues
The second workshop of “Evaluation of Marble Residues” was held as a separate workshop within the “Our Life is Mineral” organization in Antalya with the participation of public and private sector representatives and expert academicians. The Head of MAPEG – Natural Stone Marble Department, Mümin Aydın and Prof. Dr. Atiye Tuğrul moderated the workshop where participants from different disciplines discuss the evaluation of marble residues in 10 main sectors including aggregate, cement, glass, ceramic and plastic sectors, residue legislation, incentives and supports. The study and reports of 12 groups formed as the outcomes of the first workshop were presented to participants.
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