 Sapphires were a major export in the early- to mid-1990s.More recently, QIT Madagascar Minerals (QMM), owned 80 percent by mining giant Rio Tinto Group and 20 percent by the Malagasy government, has mined and exported 750,000 tons per year of ilmenite, along with 40,000 tons per year of rutile and zircon.There are also major deposits of bauxite which might be developed in the future, and there has been ongoing exploration for uranium and rare earth minerals.