Gold production in Zimbabwe dropped by 26% to 3.79 tonnes in the first two months of this year from the 5.129 tonnes reported in the preceding comparative period.
The significant drop in gold output has been blamed on heavy rains received in most parts of the country.
Fidelity Gold Refiners (FGR) general manager, Peter Magaramombe, told Business Times that it was imperative to pump out water from mines to boost gold production. He said:
Our gold deliveries have gone down significantly as the artisanal and small-scale producers were significantly affected by the rains from mid-December 2022 to date.
(Gold miners) are failing to mine due to high water levels.
There are fears of possible mine collapse accidents hence production fell significantly.
Magaramombe said large-scale producers delivered 1.69 tonnes to FGR in January and February 2023. Small-scale miners delivered 2.099 tonnes during the same period.
As a result, gold export receipts fell 24% to US$228.73 million during the first two months of this year from US$302.5 million earned in the previous comparative period.
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