There are reports of the Discovery of Diamonds in Bahia as early as 1842. “The presence of diamonds in Serra das Aroeiras was discovered in the month of March, 1842, by father Queiroz and, until the end of 1842, the population had grown from eight to ten-thousand souls, amongst whom numbered 1800-2000 self-described diamond workers,” as written by the mineralogist Virgil Von Helmreichen in 1846.

Years later, the wars of the first half of the century stimulated the growth of mining in Bahia. During World War 2, all territories across the state were mobilized in the production of raw materials for the war effort. This catapulted the value for the Manganese and Quartz deposits in our state.

RHI Magnesita was established in 1939, with the discovery of deposits in Brumado. Industrial operations began in 1944, in Contagem, Minas Gerais, with the production of aluminous and silico-aluminous refractories, including the production of Magnesia and Magnesia-Chrome in 1948.

The reconstruction of Brazil that began in the 60s and continued through the 70s motivated the country to stimulate even more mineral production in order to reduce imports – notably, in the case of metals.

Once again, Bahia took the lead, founding Mineracao Caraiba in Jaguarari, along with Ferbasa in Campo Formoso.

In 1969, feasibility studies were conducted with Mineracao Caraiba for a Copper ore deposit discovered in 1874 in the Bahian outback. 105 years later, operations in the open-pit mine were underway. Initially named Caraibas Metais, it has operated under the name Mineracao Caraiba S/A since 1994.

In 1961, Ferbasa – Cia de Ferro Ligas da Bahia (full name) began its operations in Campo Formoso, helmed by engineer José Corgosinho de Carvalho. 2 years afterwards, operations commenced with the first furnace in Pojuca, and finally, in 1973, Chromite ore mining in Andorinha was underway.

Thanks largely to the ores produced in Bahia, Brazil has managed to transition from an importer to an exporter of ore.
The state of Bahia is ranked fourth in mineral production in Brazil (ANM, 2018), distinct for its wide variety of ores. It spans 535 producers, situated across 221 different municipalities, and producing more than 2 million combined tons between 52 different ores on average per year.

The Bahian mining industry generates more than 14,800 jobs, both directly and indirectly (IBGE), guaranteeing income for countless Bahian families, especially in the semi-arid region of the state. More than 75% of product purchases and service contracts are made locally in Bahia, stimulating the regional economy. In 2018 alone, the industry generated more than 3.2 Billion Reais (BRL) in revenue, and yielded more than 939 million dollars (USD) in returns from exports.