—which amount to US$5.2 billion— may register an advance of 45% by next July, both in terms of production and exploitation, as well as exploration investments,
"Investments are normally activated following the rainy season. Thus, exploration and exploitation activities usually begin in April and remain active practically thru the end of the year. I believe that these will advance 45% until next July," he commented.
The high-ranking official argued that Peru remains an attractive country for
mining exploration. However, he said that the excessive paperwork for its development slows the whole process down.
"We have problems in achieving a slightly more agile implementation of the prior consultation, and one of the recommendations of the Commission for Sustainable Development was to adapt the consultation in the exploration part to prevent it from taking a year as it currently happens," he indicated.
To do this, Galvez said his sector is working on a proposal that will be shared with the
Ministry of Culture and the institutions which defend indigenous peoples.
"This initiative will be ready next April and, after including the respective comments, we will leave it to the consideration of the next government for its implementation," he said.
Social Advancement Fund
As is known, the FAS seeks to finance prioritized programs and projects that make it possible to close gaps in basic services and infrastructure in zones of influence of mining-energy activities and other sectors.
"We are managing the transfer of around S/10 million (about US$2.699 billion) to the FAS, so that some technical files can be crafted in some mining areas," he remarked.
"Besides, we are coordinating with the
Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) to publish an urgency decree that allows financing the works included in those technical files. We hope that these initiatives can prosper in the next 30 days," he added.