The need for the stone industry's attention to foreign markets
Head of Central Province Mining House: The expansion of the country's stone industry requires the attention of stone industry activists to attracting foreign markets.
According to Iran's International Stone Exhibition, Behzad Nikfar said: Iran is ranked first in the world in stone and color diversity and is among the top four countries in the field of mineral resources.
He added: "So far there have been good consumer markets for the stone industry within the country, which is why the industry's activists have been reluctant to export and have not done serious work in this area."
"With the slowdown in the domestic construction process and the necessary export bases, foreign markets are being taken into consideration," said Nikfar.
He continued: "For the growth and development of the stone industry, it is necessary to carry out a serious and thorough review of the laws and regulations in place and the duties of all relevant agencies, to be fully and transparently explained."
"Many of the mines in the country have not yet been explored and have not been exploited," the head of the central province's mining house said. The exploration work is very time consuming and requires a high cost which is not possible without government support and payment of facilities.
Nykfar continued: Strict labor and employer restrictive laws increase the cost of production for artisans and cause the processed stone to reach the customer at a very high price. It will increase the number of workers.
A member of the Iranian Stone Association pointed out: Providing cheap transportation platforms is essential for growth and development of exports, but infrastructure is not provided for cheap stone transportation in Iran, and transportation is still performed in traditional and traditional ways. Acknowledging that this has an impact on the cost of producing stone.
He said that in the field of stone industry there is both specialized manpower in the country and there is cheap energy as well as rich and valuable reserves that we can take advantage of in the short term in the regional markets.
He added: "There is a need for serious and practical work in the field of export training for stone industry activists. Training and awareness is the first step in development."
