Graphite production from the operations of the Indian company Tirupati is expected to increase by 2,800% over the next five years, according to a company representative. Mining activities began in March 2019 at Sahamamy, followed by Vatomina in 2021, both sites located in the Brickaville district. However, local authorities and nearby residents claim they have received no official information or been involved in any consultations regarding the project.
The benefits of graphite mining in Brickaville appear to be limited to a select few individuals, leaving both the local population and authorities in complete uncertainty about the actual impacts of this activity. When asked, several officials from the Atsinanana region stated that they had been excluded from the process and were unaware of the details of the mining operations being conducted on their land. The head of the Brickaville district, Toalina Zafindrabary, said that neither the operating company nor the Ministry of Mines had informed him about the existence of the mining operations within his jurisdiction. His deputy confirmed, stating, “We have not been informed about anything.”
In response to this lack of transparency, local elected officials, both appointed and elected, jointly drafted a letter of complaint a few weeks ago. However, no concrete response has been provided to the population so far. “The arrival of these companies here has been extremely opaque. The process for obtaining exploration permits for several hectares remains unclear. Yet, even though exploration involves a study phase, they are already acting as if they possess official mining permits. We strongly suspect the presence of a network of influence behind this,” said Roger Manase, a resident of Tanandava, a community located within the mining zone.
Uncertainty Surrounding Graphite Mining in Brickaville
Indian nationals in charge of the survey operations claim to have received authorization from the relevant authorities. However, landowners, local community leaders, and the mayor all assert that they were never consulted or even informed. Faced with this opacity, residents hastily occupied the affected lands. Jean Claude Velo, one of the locals, explains, “During the impromptu consultation organized by the elected officials, some residents agreed. But these people are not real farmers and do not own land affected by the mining operations. We suspect they received individual compensation. Some of them already work for the company, while those whose lands are impacted have not been offered any employment.”
The mayor of Ambinaninony, frequently mentioned in testimonies gathered from locals, is suspected of corruption. These accusations have heightened community tensions in the area. The elected official strongly denies the claims: “My fokontany is one of the areas targeted by the mining operations. It is false to say that I have received money. It is also false to claim that infrastructure has already been developed in exchange for this mining. That is not the case.”
It is precisely the lack of transparent local consultation that has exacerbated the situation, with residents calling for a clear consensus. However, the mayor of Ambinaninony further clarifies, “The surveys are currently being conducted in an area officially authorized for mining.”
The company states that graphite production is experiencing significant growth, driven by international demand. “Our goal is to increase production at Vatomina, which started in 2021, to complement the operations at Sahamamy, which has been active since 2019. The long-term goal is to reach 84,000 tonnes per year by 2024,” said Shirshir Poddar, CEO of Tirupati Graphite, during an announcement in 2021. He clarified that annual production at Vatomina had already reached 9,000 tonnes, compared to 3,000 tonnes at Sahamamy. According to him, this increase in production is a transitional step toward the long-term goals set for the next three years. For 2022, production reached 30,000 tonnes. Notably, during the second quarter of 2021, when mining operations began at Vatomina, the Indian company had already transported filtration machines capable of processing up to 15 million tonnes per hour. The rise in production is in response to strong demand, especially in the technology sector. Graphite is used in the production of batteries: 70 kg are required for an electric vehicle, 5 grams for a mobile phone, and 90 grams for a laptop. Many industries also use graphite as a raw material for wood pencils, in metallurgy, electricity generation, and in the medical sector, particularly for the absorption of toxins by oral intake.
In response to this global surge in demand, research on synthetic graphite has intensified since 2020, driven by Acheson, particularly in industrialized countries such as Germany, France, Japan, the United Kingdom, and Australia. “The burial sites of our ancestors are now in danger,” warns André Rakoto. According to him, Tirupati is currently extending its graphite extraction to the outskirts of Toamasina. Jean Claude Velo lists the areas already affected: “The mining operations are gradually moving toward Ambodihintsiny, at the far south and southeast of Brickaville. It is advancing toward Antopiana, and the majority of the 16 fokontany in the municipality of Ambinaninony are threatened. The drilling could reach Toamasina II.”
The drilling holes are deep: graphite extraction reaches the bedrock layers of the subsoil, rendering the land sterile and unsuitable for any farming after the operation. “The boreholes reach a depth of 10 meters and a diameter of 3 meters. And these are only sample drillings, yet the vanilla, clove, lychee, and banana plantations are already affected. This is clearly an active mining operation, not just a survey,” says Gilbert Fingahy, a representative of the residents of Sahalagnary, in the Tanandava fokontany, a rural commune in Ambinaninony. The graphite, extracted from deep red soils, thus threatens residential areas, according to this experienced farmer who has been active since 1972.
Journalists have been unable to obtain any information from either the Ministry overseeing the project or the mining company Tirupati Graphite Venture Madagascar. Despite several attempts—on-site inquiries, emails, and messages through social media—all avenues remained closed, including those of the local representatives of the company.
To date, the contractual terms of the graphite mining operation in Brickaville remain entirely opaque. The expected benefits for the local populations, the municipalities of Sahamamy and Vatomina, and the region itself are unclear, as documents related to the agreement are consistently withheld. The company’s website provides no details regarding taxes paid or investments in social infrastructure benefiting surrounding communities. There are also concerns that the monitoring of production is not being carried out by Malagasy authorities, despite the company’s claims of operating in full compliance. Tirupati maintains that Madagascar’s mining legislation fully safeguards the interests related to the operation. The natural deposit in the region is of high quality and easily accessible, according to the company.
Farmers, some coming from as far as Vohipeno, transport products intended for export to the area. According to information provided by André Rakoto, a family of planters produces an average of 1.5 tonnes of cloves and 2 tonnes of coffee per year; 100 tonnes of sugar cane, 1 tonne of Chinese lychees, and 50 tonnes of Malagasy lychees. Additionally, each household produces about 500 kg of bananas per month.
Beyond the export crops, tens of thousands of residents fear the disappearance of their subsistence crops — cassava, maize, and rain-fed rice — which form the basis of their diet. The western region of Toamasina II and Brickaville supplies a significant portion of the fruits for Madagascar’s capital. “Between 50 and 100 tonnes of bananas are produced each month in Salanary and are exported to the capital,” says François Zafiny, a father of a family from another region, now a merchant in the East. This situation will therefore have a direct impact on fruit prices in Antananarivo.
Moreover, farmers and collectors claim that the tax revenues from crops and natural resource exploitation — taxes, royalties, and duties — currently benefit the central government’s budget, regional authorities, districts, and several municipalities where the natural forests and agricultural lands are located.
The Litchi Tree Purchased for 4,000 Ariary
According to Gilbert Fingahy, the operating company buys an adult litchi tree, capable of producing up to 30 buckets (garaba) in a single season, for only 4,000 ariary. Farmers categorically refuse to accept this price, which they consider absurd. In their view, this amount does not even represent the value of the harvest for a single year.
Jean Claude Velo, a farmer in Tanandava (Ambinaninony), testified that in the northern part of the Vatomina mining zone, the company had offered 10 million ariary per family as compensation for several hectares of land. An offer that the residents unanimously rejected. The mining operations were therefore temporarily suspended in this area, while discussions continued.
A mother of a family also denounced the practices of the mining company, accusing it of exploiting the isolated, dense, and hard-to-reach area to conduct its activities on the edge of legality.
Tirupati Illegally Exploits 8 km² More Than the Authorized Area
According to explanations provided by Arison André Lovasoa, Director-General of the Malagasy Mining Cadastre Office (BCMM), on February 4th in Ivato, the company Tirupati Graphite Venture Madagascar Sarl obtained a graphite mining permit on December 18, 2015. This permit, valid until December 17, 2055, and renewable, covers 13 mining blocks in the municipality of Ambalarondra and 51 blocks in the municipality of Ambinaninony, both located in the Brickaville district, Atsinanana region. In total, 64 mining blocks were granted to the company, with each block covering an area of 625 meters per side. According to official data published by Tirupati, the company is currently exploiting 33 km² for a period of 40 years. However, based on regulatory calculations, the 64 blocks granted correspond to an area of 25 km², resulting in an excess of 8 km² beyond what is legally authorized.
In addition to graphite, the exploitation permits also cover other underground resources in this area: gold, beryl, copper, chrome, crystal, and basalt, according to data available in the permits issued by the BCMM.
Given these elements, it would be legitimate to proceed with clear, direct, and transparent communication about the exploitation contracts as well as the economic and social outcomes these activities should generate for the local populations. Such an approach would help avoid community conflicts on one hand, and prevent any suspicion of corruption in any form on the other hand.
Cover photo source: https://aidfdouaniers.org/
