Abolghasem Shafi'i: Let's not hinder the export of raw stone
President of the Iranian Stone Association: Do not hinder the export of crude stone, but try to process it, because sometimes crude stone is more valuable to us than processing it.
Abolghasem Shafie'i said at a conference held on the eve of the launch of the 9th Iranian Stone Exhibition that the Turkish stone industry is threatening Iran, China and others in the Iranian stone market.
The head of the Iranian Stone Association said: Mahalat, which is the center of Iran and the world of Travertine, cannot compete even if Travertine comes from Turkey.
"We are in a situation where the domestic market of this industry is in serious danger," he said, referring to the bad and cumbersome laws in this sector and the country's economy.
Shafiei said: "All over the world, the export sector is tax-exempt, but we are subject to 80% tax."
The head of the Iranian Stone Association said: Miners in the ornamental stones are two and a half thousand people and in other sectors in iron ore and ... 5,000 people are working.
He stated that Iran possesses about one hundred eighty million dollars with 1,950 mines and six thousand stone excavations.
Shafiei said that the first condition for price success has been reached, some of which is for the government and some for us, adding: In Italy, with the record and high volume of exports of eight billion euros in the stone sector, the total cost of exhibitors is free. But in Iran at such an expensive cost a local stone sculptor can have an expensive stall at a stone exhibit.
The head of the Iranian Stone Association stated: "We are talking about a resilient economy, but it is not in the sense of action and the rules are still tight and the roads are not open yet."
Shafi'i went on to criticize the lack of crude stone being traded by the authorities, saying: "Each country is crude depending on its reserves."
For example, in the gypsum industry, we are the world's second-largest gypsum reserves, for example, if we do not export we want to keep it for generations, as the gypsum industry is now being abolished.
He said that the known reserves of the country's stone industry are about four billion tons, while the country's production is 15 million tons.
Shafi'i said that artificial stones are severely damaging the market, adding: "Currently artificial stones, ceramic tiles and ... threaten the market.
He said Italy, which owns technology in the stone industry, currently exports forty-seven percent of the crude stone.
The head of the Iranian Stone Association stated that in our country out of the total of 14 million tons of stone production, the total export is 500 thousand and 16 thousand tons which makes up about 4% of the total production.
Shafiei added: Iran's total exports accounted for four percent of total crude stone production, and factory factories' waste was 60 percent.
* ISNA
