The National Mining Agency (ANM) plays a central role in managing Brazil’s mineral potential. However, the agency’s capacity to effectively fulfill its institutional responsibilities is hindered by evident structural challenges.
Giancarlo Silva – CEO of Ígnea Geologia e Meio Ambiente, and Daniel Vieira – Researcher and Consultant, addressed this issue in the article “A Dimensão do Impacto da Falta de Estruturação da ANM” (The Dimension of the Impact of ANM’s Lack of Structuring), published in Brasil Mineral. Based on recent data, the authors highlighted that “in the last ten years, ANM registered a significant volume of new processes related to mining rights, exceeding 150,000 and representing about 60% of the total existing ones.”
Additionally, they noted that since 2012, at least 10,000 new processes are filed annually. This scenario, while reflecting the dynamism of the private sector, places considerable pressure on the agency’s analysis and oversight capacity, which already faced a staff shortage in 2017.
Currently, a contingent of 8,426 areas awaits availability procedures to be offered to the private sector. Added to this is a pending analysis volume of approximately 23,000 research requests, 21,000 mining requests, 18,000 artisanal mining requests, and 9,000 licensing requests. Together, these more than 81,000 requests and the areas for availability cover a territorial extension of 71.7 million hectares, an area comparable to the combined territories of Bahia and Ceará, where investments could be realized. In his analysis, Giancarlo Silva emphasizes that:
In a scenario where mineral sector investors are routinely accused of using delaying tactics to maintain unproductive areas for speculative purposes, the data point to a different reality: half of the research permits currently depend on ANM actions; Almost 20% of the permits are awaiting analysis of the mineral research report.”
The research authorization phase concentrates a volume exceeding 102,000 processes. This stage is of fundamental importance, as it involves significant investments and high risk, defining the economic viability of a mineral deposit. Difficulties such as area access and obtaining licenses add complexity to this context.
Within the research phase, it is noted that 17.9% of the processes already have the Final Research Report submitted and are awaiting ANM’s decision to progress to the mining phase or for information supplementation. Another 14.96% of the processes had reports indicating the absence of a deposit or presented technical deficiencies, requiring agency intervention to release the area or request the necessary corrections. Additionally, approximately 8,800 processes (8.59%) refer to relinquished areas that are also awaiting evaluation to be considered free. The total of these pending areas in the research phase reaches 44.9 million hectares.
The slowness in analysis, resulting from insufficient personnel, leads to the accumulation of processes and the consequent retention of areas that could be destined for the development of new projects. Areas stalled within ANM represent investment opportunities that remain inactive. The central issue lies in the agency’s operational capacity to process existing demands and release areas for mineral research and development.
It is important to note that responsibility cannot be attributed to ANM technicians in a context of insufficient human resources and inadequate infrastructure for the management of the mining process. ANM and its employees need appreciation and investment; strengthening ANM is strengthening the Brazilian mineral sector,” concludes Giancarlo Silva.
Check out the full article “The Dimension of the Impact of ANM’s Lack of Structuring”: https://www.brasilmineral.com.br/noticias/a-dimensao-do-impacto-da-falta-de-estruturacao-da-anm
Follow this and other publications from the CEO of Ígnea Geologia e Meio Ambiente – Giancarlo Silva on his LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/giancarlo-silva/
Follow this and other publications from the Researcher – Daniel Vieira on his LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-vieira-91b856202/
