MINING SECTOR 2021
INTERVIEW
BOJAN POPOVIĆ, DIRECTOR OF LONDON-BASED MINECO LIMITED
Mineco: Mining first,
GEOLOGICAL EXPLORATION SECOND When we read or hear ‘base metals’ and ‘Serbia’ in the same sentence today, the usual association is with the many media articles that we can read about encouraging drilling results announced by some Canadian, Australian or British junior exploration company. For the most part, these are intended to capture the imagination of a far-away prospective investor or provide a degree of comfort to those that have already taken the plunge and are funding the promise of future riches. Alternatively, we can think of the large, world-class copper mine in Bor that was established many decades ago, or even the ‘Jadar’ lithium project – both of which are of strategic importance to the Serbian State in their own right.
H
owever, amongst all the hubbub, one privately-owned company was the first to recognise the mining potentials of this region and invest its own resources, firstly into mining and secondly into geological exploration. The Mineco Group is today synonymous with lead and zinc mining in Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, which is why we spoke with Bojan Popović, director of London-based Mineco Limited.
How do you see Mineco; what is its past? Mineco started out nearly twenty years ago, when experienced physical traders in base metals and concentrates formed their own 20
trading business. Capitalising on their wealth of knowledge of the international metals markets, Mineco quickly achieved successes in delivering solutions for producing mines, other trading companies and end-users by facilitating sales, purchases and deliveries. The opportunity for diversification into mining presented itself in 2004, when the bankrupt Rudnik lead and zinc mine near Gornji Milanovac was offered up for privatisation. At a time when the mining industry in the former Yugoslavia was struggling, the assessment was reached that Mineco possessed both the resources and the capability to relaunch operations at this mine, modernising and running it as a successful
