BAMAKO, Sept 29 (Reuters) - Mali's industrial gold

production fell 32% year-on-year to 26.2 tons by the end of

August, weighed down by the months-long suspension of Barrick

Mining's ( B ) operations, according to a mines ministry document seen

by Reuters on Monday.

Industrial output in Mali, one of Africa's top gold

producers, was also 22.5% below the government's forecast of

33.8 tons for the same period, a mines ministry official said.

"This means that the forecast of 54.7 tons of gold expected

this year will not be met, and all this is due to the Barrick

problems," said the source, who did not specify if the country

would revise its target for the year. The source was not

authorised to brief the media and spoke on condition of

anonymity.

Mali's industrial gold output fell 23% in 2024, a drop that a

mining ministry source at the time said could be due to the

government's disputes with international miners.

Canadian miner Barrick's Loulo-Gounkoto complex

produced 578,000 ounces of gold in 2024 before it was shut from

January to July amid a dispute with the West African nation's

military-run government over taxes and a new mining code.

Operations at Loulo-Gounkoto resumed in July under a

government-appointed administrator, with current production

levels around 25%, Reuters reported earlier.

It will take at least four months for production at the

Loulo-Gounkoto to return to the normal rate, a Barrick source

told Reuters on Monday. Operations have been largely curtailed

by lack of access to spare parts, said the source who was not

authorised to speak and asked not to be named.

Though Barrick removed Loulo-Gounkoto from its gold output

forecasts for 2025, Mali estimated the mine will contribute 17.5

tons to its 2025 output, the mines ministry document showed.

Other gold miners in Mali include B2Gold ( BTG ), Resolute

Mining ( RMGGF ), Allied Gold ( AAUC ) and Endeavour Mining ( EDVMF )

.

Regulatory uncertainty in Mali has weighed on investment and

output. The government, like others in the region, has

emphasised resource nationalism while pivoting from Western

investors to courting Russian interests.