Harare — THE Zimbabwe Miners Federation is negotiating with the Environmental Management Agency for small-scale miners to get a grace period to pay for environmental impact assessment reports, an official said on Tuesday.

All miners are by law required to have impact assessment reports before they commence operations.

ZMF chief executive Mr Wellington Takavarasha said the agency was charging high fees for the assessment reports.

"Most of our members cannot afford a down payment of the required fee for the certificate therefore bringing the need to be allowed to pay in part payments," he said.

It costs up to US$1 000 to have an EIA.

Failure to get the reports was impacting on productivity.

"We hope through the negotiations, a number of miners will be allowed to go back into the field to get production back on track."

He urged miners to comply with the requirements.

"It's important for miners to have the right documentation so they can operate within the legal structure," he said.

He said it was important for miners to preserve the environment.

"It's important for miners to practice mining methods that are safe to conserve the environment," he said.

A few years ago, most miners were barred from illegal mining activities when the Government launched a crackdown on illegal mining under an operation dubbed "Chikorokoza Chapera."