Turkey's annual gold production "may easily reach 50 tons within the next two to three years, thanks to new investment projects," said the head of the Turkish Gold Miners Association.

The country's gold production, which was 22 tons in 2017, rose to 27 tons in 2018, Hasan Yücel said in a statement yesterday. He noted that Turkey produced a total of 302 tons of gold from 2001 to 2018.

According to Yücel, Turkey imported 3,842 tons of gold during the last 24 years.

"Mines are underground treasures. Mining meets industry's raw material and intermediate goods requirements," he underlined.

Rejecting claims of using cyanide for gold digging process in Turkey, Yücel noted Turkish miners use the same methods which are used in the U.S., Sweden, Australia and Canada.