The imbalance between stone production and exports
The head of the Iranian Stone Association said that the production and export balance were unbalanced. He said that the amount of stone extracted annually is twelve to thirteen million tons, while the small share goes to export markets and competitors have outperformed our country.
According to the International Stone Exhibition of Iran, the stone industry records show that in the past, due to the lack of technology in this industry, the export approach was focused on exporting stone in the form of pebbles, but today with the modernization and upgrading of processing facilities in this area, The situation is different and last year over 500 eighty thousand tonnes of stone were cut (exported) to sixty-nine countries with a declared value of one hundred and forty-four million dollars compared to two years ago. It has a 14% growth.
Abolghasem Shafi'i at the conference of Young Entrepreneurs of Stone Industry at Tehran University's Faculty of Engineering said: Today, the capacity of ornamental and construction stone production units has reached twenty-seven to thirty million tonnes and, despite benefiting from eight hundred factories equipped with modern machinery, We don't have much share in export markets.
Iran Mines and Minerals Renovation Organization (Imidro) statistics show that last year we exported 193 percent of all types of stone and related products, down from $ 200.2 million two years ago, while imports declined. Forty-six percent were thirty-nine and one-million dollars.
Head of the stone association believes: Iran is the fourth largest stone producer in the world, but it is in the export sector among twenty countries, while many of Iran's stones are not similar in color and quality in the world.
He noted: The number of stone-throwing units in the country is more than six thousand units registered, but it is estimated to be one and two hundred to three hundred active units.
Shafiei pointed out that the population of ECO and CIS member states as neighbors in the periphery of Iran is over 800 million, but we have not yet obtained a proportionate share of this vast market.
While criticizing the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology in the field of scientific promotion of students in the field of mining and defining a branch as decorative and building stones, he said: "Today, in a country like Italy, there is a need for planning, but In Iran, despite all this cooperation from the association in terms of the definition of courses and related units, the ministry has not been welcomed.
Ahmad Sharifi, secretary-general of the association, added: "The government should not complain about the lack of research funding at universities, because today twenty percent of the state's mining rights are accepted for research activities. Last year, government salaries amounted to two and a half billion dollars and this year is one and a half billion dollars.
He noted: One thousandth of the resources allocated for mining activities and research are not wasted, while the Iranian Stone Society welcomes innovative research and ideas.
Sharifi emphasized: The official statistics show that we have about 2,000 mines in accordance with international standards, but no steps have been taken to improve their efficiency.
Addressing the students present at the conference, he said: "Today the Iranian Stone Association is shaking hands and is ready to cooperate in research and research in various fields with budget allocation."
* IRNA
