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Aljhaji Inusah Fuseini, Minister of Lands and Natural Resources has revealed that the Mining industry in 2012 contributed 27 per cent of government revenue collected by the Domestic Tax Division of Ghana Revenue Authority. He said the mining sector has produced 4,313,190 ounces of gold, which is the highest ever in the history of the country, resulting in export revenues of more than 5.6 billion dollars. Alhaji Fuseini made this known on Tuesday in Accra at the meet-the-press series being organised by Ministry of Information and Media Relations. He said six mining regulations have been passed by parliament to operationalise the Minerals and Mining Act 2006, (Act 703) as well as strengthen the regulatory framework governing the management of the mining industry. The Minister said the mining regulations include Mining General Regulations 2012 Legislative Instrument (L.I 2173), Mines Support Services Regulations 2012(L.I 2174), Mines Compensation and Resettlement Regulations 2012 (L.I 2175). The rest are Minerals and Mining Licensing Regulations 2012 (L.I 2176), Mining Explosives Regulations, 2012 (L.I 2177) and Mining Health and Safety Regulations 2012 (L.I 2182). Alhaji Fuseini expressed worry about the spate of illegal mining, explaining that small scale mining is the exclusive preserve of Ghanaians, who hold licenses obtained from and signed by the Sector Minister. He said the establishment of an inter-Ministerial Task Force by President Mahama has resulted in the arrest of 1,568 foreigners and 51 Ghanaians while 40 vehicles, 85 earth moving equipment and 49 weapons have been seized. He said the Ministry would continue to ensure that opportunities for increasing local content in the mining industry through capacity building of local entrepreneurs and job creation are pursued. Speaking on the Forestry sector, Alhaji Fuseini said the Forestry Commission has established a Rapid Response Unit to clamp down on illegal activities within the forest reserves and protected areas. �Currently eight Rapid Response Teams have been deployed in all hotspot forest reserves in Ashanti, Western and Eastern Regions and an additional five teams will be resourced and deployed this year to other problem reserves,� he added. He said some of the challenges facing the Commission include inadequate logistics for effective field work and inadequate funds to undertake routine operational activities. Alhaji Fuseini said the Commission would continue to implement activities under the National Forestry Plantation Programme and address the domestic wood supply situation by implementing the Public Wood Procurement Policy. Touching on the land sector, the Minister said the Ministry has undertaking initiatives including the strengthening of the legislative framework for land administration, strengthening customary land administration and developing maps and spatial data for land administration. Alhaji Fuseini said the Ministry would provide enabling environment to reflect the objectives of an efficient and transparent service delivery to be achieved by supporting the judiciary to improve adjudication of land cases.