Bahram Shakouri made the remarks in an interview with IRNA on Saturday and noted that developing the copper industry and supporting the development projects in this sector can generate $10 billion worth of foreign currency for the country.
Stating that copper is a metal has a very bright future, he added that by employing new innovative methods, the use of copper mineral will increase by fourfold by 2050.
Today, huge investment has been made in the field of exploration and processing of copper and this issue should be taken into more serious consideration in the country, he highlighted.
Shakouri called on the concerned officials to take effective steps in line with materializing the objectives of the copper sector in the country in collaboration with the private sector.