Allowing individuals to mine gold in Russia encourages production, but violates control of movement of gold - Resources Agency chief
Wed June 18 2025
Allowing individuals to mine gold encourages production, but violates the system of control over the movement of gold, the head of the Federal Mineral Resources Agency (Rosnedra), Oleg Kazanov said in an interview with Interfax ahead of the 2025 St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
"I believe that the law allowing individuals to mine gold is a complex subject. On the one hand, it stimulates production, on the other hand, it violates the system of control over the movement of mineral resources from the subsoil to processing," he said.
"It is also important to remember that the PMPS system - precious metals and precious stones - is beginning to apply to the subsoil use of gold. Gold as an element of this system must be traceable at any stage: a site must have proven reserves that have passed state appraisal; the owner must confirm what kind of gold they obtain - concentrate or placer; when shipping gold to refineries, everything is recorded. And every step is transparent, this is the state's position," Kazanov said. "And what will happen if individuals mine gold? How can we tell where the gold came from? How can we establish its legality? Who and how will count how much there is? And a lot of other key issues arise," he said.
"Allowing individuals to mine gold creates a difficult precedent. Now the state is studying this issue from all angles, the Finance Ministry is conducting its own assessment, other ministries are deciding their positions," he said.
A bill allowing citizens registered as individual entrepreneurs to mine alluvial gold was introduced to the State Duma in April 2023 and was soon adopted at its first reading. But the initiative prompted a debate between the Far East Committee and the Natural Resources Committee and has not yet advanced beyond its first reading.
Source: https://interfax.com