Energy and Mines Minister Francisco Ismodes on Wednesday affirmed that a responsible and sustainable mining activity —carried out in diverse areas of Peru— is fully compatible with other economic activities such as agriculture, noting it generates benefits for the population.
According to the high-ranking official, it is important to provide information on the importance of this sector for improving Peruvians' quality of life.
"We know that —until July— over S/4 billion (around US$1.197 billion) has been transferred, including canon and royalties. However, for a citizen, this is just a number that lacks meaning," he expressed.
"We must tell the population how these resources have been invested, which schools have been built, how much employment the mining activity has directly or indirectly generated," Ismodes added.
Likewise, the minister underlined the creation of the interactive platform Proyecta Minem. Its goal is to inform the public about the advances and benefits generated by the mining activity, as well as its importance to the country, what has been built with said resources, and what are the projections.
Furthermore, the official mentioned it is important to be aware of the work done by diverse businesses concerning the technical-mining and social aspects.
Remarks were made during his participation at the 4th session of the work group D2D Peru, included in a project of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the BHP Foundation.
It is part of the From Disclosure to Development Project, aimed at improving the access and use of information related to the mining sector in order to create an informed dialogue that boosts local development and contributes to reducing social conflicts.
(END) CNA/JJN/DTK/MVB