There were no commercially exploitable mineral resources in the Comoros. Small quantities of clay, sand, gravel, and crushed stone were produced for domestic consumption, and the former French colony was dependent on imports to meet all its energy and cement needs. Promotion of a new construction technique using lava and volcanic ash was expected to reduce cement imports and coral mining. Political instability in recent years has continued to hurt the economy, and the outlook on minerals output was not expected to change significantly.