Tanzanite worth 635 billion/- smuggled from Arusha annually

• Nairobi, Jaipur are smugglers’ dens

By Arusha Times Reporter 
Tanzanite gemstones despite being  found  only in Mirerani Hills, near Arusha, is reported to be mostly exported from Nairobi and Jaipur, even though neither Kenya nor India produce the rare minerals.

It was revealed here during the recently  ended Arusha Gemstone Fair that tanzanite gemstones worth 635 billion/- are smuggled out of the country annually through illegal channels and the lot reportedly end up in either Kenya or India.

Stakeholders during the recently held Arusha Gem Fair. Despite establishing mineral checkpoints at ports of entries including border points, airport departures and similar areas, Tanzanite smuggling continues unabated.
(Photo by Filbert Rweyemamu).

The Commissioner for Minerals from the Ministry of Energy and Minerals, Engineer Paul Masanja stated in Arusha that the neighbouring country of Kenya reports to be importing tanzanite minerals valued at US $ 100 million while India documents annual imports of the blue gemstones worth US $ 300 million but for some reason official export figures for tanzanite in Tanzania are only  US $ 38 million per annum.

“It therefore means that tanzanite valued at US $ 382 million is  taken out of the country every year while the state remains to earn only about US $ 38 million of that, which is equivalent to only 20 percent of the total blue gemstones being mined from the Mirerani Hills,” pointed out Eng. Masanja.

The Commissioner was speaking during the the annual Arusha Gem Fair (2014) which took  place at the Mount Meru Hotel grounds and  attended by over 500 participants from around the world, among them 61 exhibitors, and 69 companies.

Despite establishing mineral check-point at ports of entries including border points, airport departures and similar areas, tanzanite smuggling continues to be notorious.

Mr Sammy Mollel is the Chairman of the Tanzania Mineral Dealers Association and members of TAMIDA. He said:  “While I admit that, tanzanite smuggling is getting worse,  I think the figure of the gemstones being sold abroad is unrealistically too high, unless if the value also takes into account processed gems that have been cut, polished and converted into ornaments that also include gold or emerald finishing,” stated Mr Mollel although in response to that, the Commissioner for Minerals insisted the data was for freshly mined raw tanzanite.

Participants of the Arusha Gem Fair 2014 were also surprised that the tanzanite they find in Jaipur India seemed far more superior to the ones found in Arusha despite the fact that this is the only place on earth where the blue gemstones are found.

http://www.arushatimes.co.tz/front%20page_1.html