BAMAKO - Mali's gold exports rose 6.5% to 65.6 tonnes in 2019 compared with the previous year due to a rise in production, external trade data from the country's statistics agency showed on Saturday.
The data, which was released with a considerable delay due to the coronavirus pandemic according to the agency, showed that Switzerland and South Africa were the main destinations for Mali's precious metal.
The data showed that 65.1 tonnes of the exported gold came from industrial mining operations, while less than 540 kg came from small-scale artisanal mining.
Gold is the country's main export revenue earner, with the mining sector accounting for around 9.7% for gross domestic product in 2019.
Industrial gold miners in Mali including Barrick Gold, AngloGold Ashanti, Hummingbird Resources, and B2Gold have said their operations have not been affected following the Aug. 18 military coup.