Ugaruss Trading House Ltd will start initial mining of tin and tantalite at the end of this month.

The Russian firm which got a mining and prospecting license only recently said it would start exporting tantalite, tin ore and other minerals as soon as mining commences.
 
Tantalite, a naturally occurring but rare chemical element, is used in the production of electronics while its alloys are used in making of surgical instruments, jet engines, nuclear reactors and missile parts.

Uganda’s Department of Geological Mines and Surveys issued Ugaruss with two licenses to start mining in Mbarara, near the country’s border with Tanzania.

The contribution of the mining sector to Uganda’s economy is still minimal. A 2006 report by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development shows that gold, vermiculite, diamonds, cobalt, wolfram tantalum, tin and beryl all combined were worth $100,000 in exports. Imports of gold, gypsum, limestone, fluorspar and diamond totalled ($91,400).

The government is hoping to boost the sector through the $18.5 million World Bank funded Mineral Sector Development programme.