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VIENTIANE, Nov. 9 (Xinhua) -- Development of administrative mechanisms, management, monitoring and law enforcement with regard to mining operations are experiencing challenges in Laos.

Lao national TV on Thursday quoted Lao Minister of Energy and Mines Phoxay Sayasone as saying that the main challenge encountered relates to staff shortages within the ministry, while the number of new projects authorized as well as advanced level scholarships in essential subjects are also limited.

Training plans need updated priorities and focus, while the decentralization of management and local empowerment must be enhanced, and inspection, monitoring and evaluation must be improved to quickly prevent problems, together with the empowerment of local communities, he added.

Meanwhile, the Lao government is revising decrees and other legislations on the regulation of mining operations to make them more effective.

Decrees relating to fines and measures to be taken against violators in the mining sector, and a decree on rare minerals, will be completed by 2024 and 34 new pieces of legislation will be enacted.

The government will also strive to solve the problem of accumulated debt involving mining projects, relating to the payment of concessions and contractual capital, Phoxay said.

The ministry is expected to encourage 33 projects for carrying out economic and technical mineral feasibility studies for mining concession agreements to complete the studies by 2025.

Laos is expected to produce mineral products valued at 7,832 million U.S. dollars from 2021 to 2025, up 4 percent from the previous five years.

The government has authorized foreign and domestic companies to engage in mining operations since 1990, with mineral deposits located in at least 570 locations across the country.

The government is promoting investment in mining to boost revenue through export of natural resources, while ensuring environmental protection.

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Laos faces challenges in regulation of mining operations - Xinhua