Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- The volume of production of phosphorite ore for the needs of the agro-industrial complex of Uzbekistan will increase by 2-2.5 million tons per year. The increase will be ensured by the new NEOFOS production, opened by the investment company Ferkensco Management Limited.

NEOFOS is a mining and processing complex in Navoi region. It includes a quarry for the extraction of granular phosphorites and a processing plant for the production of phosphorite concentrate.

This year, the development of a quarry with an area of 45.7 sq. km and a depth of up to 50 m. More than 30 units of large equipment are involved in the facility: diesel-hydraulic excavators, a milling combine, dump trucks, bulldozers and graders.

“Ore seams lie in a horizontal plane and have a thickness of up to one meter, so mining is carried out in an open way: first, the upper overburden layer is removed, leaving a “shirt” - a layer that protects the phosphorite layer from damage by special equipment. It is removed before the direct excavation of the ore mass in the developed area,” explained the director of the NEOFOS enterprise Iskandar Mukhtarov.

Now more than 150 people are employed in mining. After reaching the design capacity, NEOFOS will have more than 500 employees.

The launch of the processing plant is scheduled for the end of 2023. By its opening, a reserve of ore will be formed, which is necessary for a full load of production. The finished product (phosphorite concentrate) will be used as a raw material for fertilizers at the Samarqandkimyo plant under construction, another investment project of Ferkensco Management Limited.

“Samarqandkimyo chemical complex will become the largest producer of phosphorus-containing fertilizers in Uzbekistan. The enterprise will annually produce up to 910,000 tons of high-quality products, which will not only cover the needs of local farmers, but will also enter the export market, competing with foreign manufacturers. Own raw materials produced in NEOFOS will reduce dependence on third-party suppliers and make the operation of the complex uninterrupted,” said Timur Juraev, head of Ferkensco Management Limited in Uzbekistan.