Up a gob-smacking 3,630% this year, Harvest Minerals Limited (LON:HMI) kept the pedal down all the way up to Christmas this week.
On Thursday, it revealed it had started mining at the Maximus prospect on its Arapua fertiliser project in Brazil after the award of a trial permit.
The company has also signed a letter of intent with local coffee company Veloso to supply it with 45Kt of its KPfertil fertiliser product through 2017.
Veloso will pay around US$60 per tonne at current exchange rates.
Romania-focused mine developer Vast Resources PLC (LON:VAST) also finished the year with a flourish, with a slew of announcements.
On Tuesday it revealed it had moved into the black at the half-year stage, on the back of a sharp rise in revenue.
The next day, it revealed it is to expand zinc and copper production at Manaila, in Romania, and that it had started sales of a zinc concentrate from the mine.
The big news though came on Friday, as it revealed it is currently conducting discussions with large private equity funds and investors interested in backing its Romanian subsidiary.
Elsewhere in the copper sector, Alecto Minerals PLC (LON:ALO) is to take over running of the mothballed Mowana copper mine in Botswana and bring it back on stream.
The deal will be structured as a reverse takeover, with the current owner of the mine in north eastern Botswana ending up with a controlling stake.
Staying in Africa, Kefi Minerals (LON:KEFI) reiterated this week its Tulu Kapi project in Ethiopia stands up even with the recent drop in the gold price.
Gold has shed about US$200 per ounce in the past couple of months but at the current price of US$1,150, the net present value based on an underground and open pit model is US$74mln.
The junior remains in talks to arrange the finance for US$150-160mln required to build the mine.
Kibo Mining PLC (LON:KIBO) has agreed a price to build its Mbeya thermal power station in Tanzania.
A legally binding EPC (engineering, procurement, construction) cover agreement was signed with its Chinese partner and contractor SEPCO III on 19 December.
Kibo’s chief executive Louis Coetzee described it as a true watershed moment in the history of the MCPP.
Commodity trader Noble Resources is to lend its considerable weight to Mkango Resources Ltd (LON:MKA, CVE:MKA), the rare earths explorer.
Noble, one of world's largest commodity traders and the largest in Asia, will identify the optimal markets and counter-parties for output from Mkango’s Songwe Hill rare earths project in Malawi.
Songwe Hill is in development and heading towards completion of a definitive feasibility study.
Finally, and moving on to Turkey, drilling at Mariana Resources Ltd’s (LON:MARL) Hot Maden project in north-east Turkey continues to deliver “exceptional” gold and copper grades.
The data from the infill programme continue to confirm the continuity of the bonanza-grade mineralisation, particularly within Hot Maden’s Main Zone.