Minimum share of decorative stones in exports
There were various stones in Iran, including marble, granite and marble, but we have not been able to export as much as we should.
According to the International Iranian Stone Exhibition, stone extraction and activity on it in Iran has a history of 4,000 years. Our country has huge reserves and all kinds of decorative stones, as it is currently ranked fourth in the world in terms of stone reserves.
Today, there are 1,800 mines in the country with 6,000 stone-cutting factories, which shows our capability in this field. Thus, stone mines in Iran have a high capacity, but when we sit in the hearts of activists in this field, the situation is different. They believe that although we are strong in this area, so far we have not been able to take advantage of this absolute advantage, think about the growth of exports and have something to say in the world. Samat talked to the country's stone activists about the importance of stone and its need for export.
Economic development with stone exports
Mehdi Nabipour, CEO of the consortium of a mineral export company, referring to the country's capabilities in the field of stone, said: Iran is very rich in the field of stone; To the extent that we are among the top 10 countries in the world in this field. In the last few years, our imports have decreased by 66% and our exports have grown by about 14%, which shows our good situation in the field of stone.
He stressed: "Our country has enough diversity in the field of building stones, so it does not need to import stone from abroad." Nabipour said about the importance of stone exports: "One of the factors of economic development of developed countries is the existence of large export companies in the field of stone. Unfortunately, despite the fact that our country is known in the world for stone diversity and is a major producer, it could not find a suitable position in exports. This field has a small share. Thus, this industry has been oppressed with all its capabilities.
The mining activist lamented that Iran does not have a good position in the field of stone exports, saying: "While we have good capabilities in the country and we can do better in the field of stone, our companies operate in medium and small sectors." Thus, although there were various stones in Iran, including marble, granite and marble, but we have not been able to do as we should for export.
Referring to the reasons for the weak stone exports in the country, Nabipour said: "On the one hand, there are sanctions that create problems for stone exports, and on the other hand, sometimes those who do mining activities are not enough to be able to do export work."
He emphasized: "Our plan is to form an export consortium with the support of the Mining House and the Stone Association so that we can export the stone."
Export development to get out of the recession
Hossein Kouhestani, CEO of a stone mining group, in response to a question about the current state of the stone industry, said: "Since stone is not separate from other goods, if we want to study the conditions of the stone field in the country, we must look at other economic activities." With this estimate, we find that the condition of the stone is neither good nor bad.
The mining activist further referred to the housing market downturn and said: "In the near future, we will experience a severe downturn in the housing and construction materials market." Kouhestani pointed to the way out of the market recession and said: "We must develop exports, while today, in practice, exports have become very difficult and almost impossible."
He went on to talk about export barriers in the country and said: "Sanctions are one of the serious reasons for the decline in exports."
Another issue is the issue of money transfers and financial transfers. Unfortunately, despite the sanctions, banking transactions have become difficult and work has been slow. "Today, the number of containers carrying stone has decreased," he said, referring to the problem of high transportation costs. In fact, international shipping companies have reduced their dealings with Iran after the sanctions; So as long as the sanctions are in place, we can no longer regain our former capacity.
Commenting on the need for government support for producers and stone activists to participate in domestic and international exhibitions, the mining activist said: "Once upon a time, the government supported exporters. The government's revenue situation has been reversed and a series of incentives have been removed.
Closing remarks ...
Although Iran is one of the richest countries in the field of stone and is one of the top 10 producers of this commodity, it has a small share in the export of this mineral; In other words, Iran has not been able to achieve the position it has the capacity to. Experts attribute the sanctions to the international community and believe that international companies have reduced their dealings with Iran since the sanctions were imposed. Weak government support for mining activists is another issue that experts say is a major obstacle to the country's stone exports. They believe that the government and relevant officials should facilitate the conditions for export development.
