(Ecofin Agency) - The National Statistics Institute of Mali revealed on Saturday 9 July that the country exported in 2015, 70.2 tons of gold, against 53.2 tons the previous year, due to a better production by artisanal miners.

Gold output in 2015 was estimated at $2.2 billion. Out of the 70.2 tons exported, 46.5 tons come from industrial producers, 0.7 tons more than in 2014. The remaining 23.7 tons were produced by artisanal miners, up 16.3 tons compared to 2014.

“These performances show that small-scale mining is dynamic and could produce as much as mining companies. This is why it must be structured by authorities,” said Abdoulaye Pona, President of the Chamber of Mines. According to the mining ministry, Mali has 350 sites that can be exploited for small scale mining and in which more than a million people are involved.

Mali is Africa’s third largest gold producer behind South Africa and Ghana.

Louis-Nino Kansoun