Iranian stone market at risk of presence of Iraqi speculators
According to the secretary general of the National Iranian Rock Association, the conditions of the domestic market downturn and the imposition of sanctions have prompted Iraqi building stone traders to buy less than $ 10 per square meter of processed stone; It breaks and hits foreign markets.
According to Iran's International Stone Exhibition, Ahmad Sharifi said: "Stone producers are selling their stones to Iraqi dealers at a lower price because of the problem of liquidity and working capital.
At the same time, he warned that most of the processed stone exported to Iraq is of medium quality and could expose its market to Iranian producers.
Sharifi added: Sixty to sixty-five percent of the Iraqi cement market was previously devoted to Iranian products, but the poor quality of some exporters led to a tightening of the Iraqi government's contracting policy, which reduced Iran's cement exports to the country. .
He noted that from the export of 100 million square meters of our country, about 7 million meters are exported to the Iraqi market, which is far from the existing capacities.
Secretary-General of the National Iranian Rock Association noted: Iraqi traders in order to buy cheap stone do not keep any part of Iran away and buy cash directly at the stone factories, and buy various kinds of "marble" and They make travertine.
Sharifi added: Iraqi speculators first buy from western provinces that have suitable stones, while also paying attention to the province of Isfahan.
He expressed concern that the export of stones to Iraq would be harmful to the Iranian stone industry and the credibility of our country's export products because of the poor quality and profitability of Iraqi speculators in this regard.
The secretary general of the National Iranian Rock Association added: High-quality Iranian stones go to the European market and developed countries and 90% of the block stone is exported to China.
He mentioned the current capacity of Iran's construction stone more than one hundred and eighty million square meters and said: Now the units of this sector are operating with a third capacity and some have been closed.
Sharifi said that many units have been shut down due to the inability to sell their products, saying: "If we want the industry to be sustainable, we need to expand our export markets."
According to the report, Jafar Sarkhini, Deputy Minister of Mines and Minerals at the Ministry of Industry, said earlier that the country's miners in the field of stone should focus on production towards the processing and value-added of mineral products, since the export of crude minerals Driving basic resources at a low rate does not help eliminate the unemployment chain and does not bring wealth and employment.
The Deputy Minister of Industry, Mining and Trade stated: "Three hundred eighty thousand people work in the field of stone industry and its related activities and six thousand and five hundred stone processing units are active in the country, reflecting the mineral capacities of this sector and its position. Is in development.
* IRNA
