RANGE SURVEY AND EXPLORATION PROGRAMS AIMING AT REACHING THE ACTUAL AND PROSPECTIVE RESERVES OF MINERAL WEALTH, HE ADDED. GIVING AN ACCOUNT OF THE KINGDOM'S MINERAL LICENSES IN EFFECT, THE MINISTER SAID NEARLY 1200 LICENSES WERE GRANTED TO NEARLY 600 COMPANIES WHEREAS THE HOLDERS OF THOSE LICENSES WERE ABLE TO MINE AND PRODUCE NEARLY 265 MILLION TONS OF MINERAL CRUDES IN 2005, HE STATED. THE MINISTER ADDED THAT MINERAL CONCESSIONS LICENSED AMOUNTED TO MORE THAN 162,000 SQUARE KILOMETERS THROUGHOUT THE KINGDOM WHILE THE ANNUAL REVENUES OF INVESTORS STOOD AT SR13 BILLION WITH PROFITS HITTING NEARLY SR4.1 BILLION FOR INVESTMENTS ESTIMATED AT MORE THAN SR32 BILLION. ACCORDINGLY, BIG QUANTITIES OF GOLD, SILVER, ORNAMENTAL STONES, RAW CEMENT, GYPSUM AND ALL KINDS OF BUILDING MATERIALS WERE PRODUCED FOR LOCAL CONSUMPTION AND EXPORTATION, HE CONCLUDED. --MORE
