Mrs Cecilia Bannerman, Minister for Mines on Tuesday said the land around Etwereso and Ajobue which forms part of the lower Birim concession of the Ghana Consolidated Diamond Limited (GCD) is not uneconomic contrary to what is being alleged.

She said the Etwereso and Ajobue land measures 50.46 kilometres and is estimated to contain about 43.23 percent of the total proven diamond deposits of the GCD in the Birim River concession.

Mrs Bannerman was answering a question asked by Dr. Boakye Akoto NPP-Birim North as to whether her ministry would consider releasing land around Etwereso and Ajobue to small-scale mining operators in view of the fact that GCD deems the area uneconomical for large scale mining purposes.

Mrs Bannerman said shedding off the area for small-scale mining operators would significantly reduce the value of the GCD concession, which is being divested and that bids to that effect have been received by the Divestiture Implementation Committee.