Lately, not only large-scale and medium-scale mining have been facing problems with communities, but also small-scale and artisanal mining, which are even threatened by those who intend to drive them away in order to invade their concessions with people who operate outside the law, do not have a payroll, do not pay taxes, pollute, and lack clean technologies.

Celso Cajachahua, president of the National Federation of Small Mining Producers and Artisanal Miners of Peru (Fenamarpe), talked about it during his presentation at Rumbo a PERUMIN - Central Peru Edition, within the framework of Mining Thursday, where he analyzed the impact of non-formal mining on the country and the Ayacucho, Huancavelica, and Ica regions.

"In the areas where we, small and artisanal miners in the process of formalization, operate, there are also settlers who come and start working as miners. We advise them to comply with certain requirements demanded by the authorities, but they are not interested. Just like formal conventional mining, we also deal with social conflicts."

Fenamarpe was founded in 2002 and its members are currently registered in the Integral Mining Formalization Registry (Reinfo). Yet, on their road to formalization they have faced different challenges associated to the regulatory framework and even the neglect of previous administrations that, far from incorporating them into formality, criminalized this activity.

"Although all Fenamarpe's miners work under third party claims, we have the corresponding documentation and are complying with the formalization process. We practice underground mining, not alluvial mining. And we have submitted a bill to the Energy and Mines Commission for the regulation of our activity," he pointed out.

Celso Cajachahua criticized the laws that were passed in 2014, one of them being the Interdiction of Small Mining and Artisanal Mining Act, as well as another set of regulations that made them conclude that, in order to work as a miner with all the documentation required by the formalization process, they had to act within 1260 days and invest 87,000 dollars.

"There must be a commitment on the part of the State and regional governments. When an administration ends, its whole team is removed and new staff is brought in by the new administration. This situation has often halted the progress of the formalization programs. Mining formalization needs to be seen as a long-term policy that transcends administrations," he said.