According to the International Iranian Stone Exhibition, we have read a lot about the dangers of selling raw materials; For example, it has been said many times that when we sell raw materials, we get the profits we need to make domestically, directly abroad, while if we increase our capacity and stop selling raw materials, we can generate income and help the country's economic growth. do.

However, some construction experts agree with the sale of raw materials in this area. The group believes that what is done in the field of stone called retail in the form of blocks or coupes is by no means raw material. According to the experiences of successful countries in the world, countries such as Italy and Spain, which have a comparative advantage in this field, have sold about 50% of their raw materials and have been able to meet the needs of the global market. This has not only harmed the miners less, but has made them more valuable and has played a positive role in the economy.

There are many discussions about the benefits of processing, but experts believe that while the economic growth of any country can have a great impact on the growth of processing in the country's stone industry, the opposite of processing growth in the country's stone industry does not affect the overall economic growth.

Let's not be separated

Ramin Ghorbanzadeh, a researcher in the stone market, said in response to a question about how negative the sale of raw materials in the field of building stones is, to oppose the use of the term raw materials in the field of building stones.

He pointed out that all well-known countries in the world stone industry are blocks of sale or raw sales, he said: "Considering this, it is better that we are not separated from the world."

Ghorbanzadeh, referring to the successful experiences of raw material sales in the world, said: Stone with a white background has always been well received in the international market. Italy, Greece, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan and Vietnam have the most and best white stone mines in the world. Meanwhile, Italy, Greece and Turkey plan to export white stone blocks, but Afghanistan and Vietnam export stone blocks. Prohibited. It is better for us to follow the roadmap of Italy, Greece and Turkey, not Afghanistan and Vietnam.

Asked which countries are the world's largest buyers of block stones, the petroleum market researcher said: "The world's five largest and largest export target markets are divided into China, which is China's largest blockbuster." The United States, Japan, South Korea and Germany are also the world's largest buyers of cut stone.

He continued: "For various reasons, Iran cannot have a significant trade with the four large and powerful buyers of the cut stone; Therefore, it is better not to offer the Chinese market, which is the largest buyer of block stones, to a competitor named Turkey.

"Processing in the field of stone contributes to economic growth," Ghorbanzadeh said. "Processing requires the growth of knowledge, technology and manpower expertise." Therefore, if there is a general economic growth, it is possible to achieve processing growth in the country's stone industry. But the opposite is not true. In other words, the growth of processing in the country's stone industry does not have much effect on the overall economic growth of the country.

"If we only look at the economics of the stone industry separately, we still need to consider one important factor, and the next step is to look at the role of this factor in the growth of Iran's stone industry," he said. This factor is nothing but the "Chinese market" and the demand of the country's manufacturing plants to buy Iranian raw stone.

He added: "In order to understand China's role in the international stone market, it is worth noting that fifty percent of the dollar volume of Turkish stone exports for raw stone exports is to China alone, and the rest is exported from Turkey in combination with raw and cut stones." Countries.

He stressed: "Considering the imposed problems and sanctions that Iran is dealing with, the focus will not be on focusing on selling cut stones to increase economic growth."

In response to the question of whether it is right for economic growth in the field of political stone to focus on avoiding the sale of raw materials, Ghorbanzadeh said: "No, this policy is not right; For example, one type of rock family that distinguishes Iran among stone industry owners is marble or onyx. Opponents and critics who see the export of this type of stone as so-called raw materials must answer that what is the duty of the owners of Iran's marble mines if their stone is not exported as a coupon ?! Make it clear that Iranian manufacturers guarantee the purchase of all mining coupes from Iran's marble mines ?! Does the domestic market of Iran have the traction of marble consumption extracted by Iranian mines? Do Iranian manufacturers and traders have access to luxury stone markets?

"Apart from the government, there are other decision-making and influential institutions besides the government," the mining activist concluded. Therefore, we expect the ruling regime not to obstruct stone-throwing activists.

The need to comply with world standards

Siamak Haj Seyed Javadi, a mining activist, said in response to a question about how negative the sale of raw materials in the field of stone is: "What is done in the form of selling raw materials in the form of block stones or coupes is by no means a raw material sale." In fact, at this stage, the stone is processed and worked on according to the standards to achieve the desired result.

Haj Seyed Javadi, referring to the current standards of the world, stated: This important thing in the world is usually in the form of two to one; That is, the rock is extracted twice, and fifty percent of it is in the form of blocks and the rest is in the form of waste. Accordingly, if 300 million tons are extracted, about one hundred and fifty million tons of block stones will be obtained, but in Iran this figure varies between three to five times; That means we pay much less attention to blockchain; Therefore, it should be said that block stone is not raw stone, but it is a semi-finished product and is in the production stages.

"Blockchain exports are not only negative but also positive for the country," he said. And the stone is exported as a coupe. Another case is Turkey, which produces between 10 and 20 percent more than Iran.

 While we have about 10 million tons of stag production, this figure is twelve million tons for Turkey. Interestingly, Turkey exports half of its production in the form of blocks, ie raw materials, but this is criticized in our country, and it is blamed for not selling raw materials.

Haj Seyed Javadi, referring to the reasons for the problem of stone exports as a block in Iran, said: In many parts of the world, the miner has his own factory and processing unit, but in Iran, processing plants are separate from the mine. Unfortunately, policy-making in our country has not been in the direction that the two are together; Therefore, the dispute over value added between the miner and the factory owner has always been an issue.

The miner continued: "Factory workers have always tried to buy the ore at a low price, but in return the miners have tried to sell the stone at the highest profit." In the meantime, if the exporter buys a stone from the miner for three million tomans per ton, the factory owner wants to buy it much cheaper and consider a larger share for the added value.

"We have to strike a balance," he said. That is, try as much as possible to mine the miners of the processing units or to provide the miners to the mines of the processing units to reduce the number of disputes.