LCCI organises awareness session on marble industry

LAHORE: The Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) and Pakistan Stone Development Company (PASDEC) jointly organised an awareness session on the marble industry, a statement said.

Stone and marble sector has immense export potential and the business community should take advantage of this great and grand untapped opportunity, the speakers observed.

PASDEC Chairperson Shmama tul Arbab said that PASDEC is reaching out to the business community to highlight the potential of this sector. The first session is being held at the LCCI with an aim to take guidance from the businessmen, she added.

PASDEC Chief Executive Officer Baber Mairaj Shami said that the country is abundant with the resources of semi-precious gems, granite, onyx, marble and rock salt which is also known as Himalayan salt.

“Unfortunately, we are not using these resources properly as most of the parts are being exported in raw form. Another reason is that no public-private investment has been made on modern machinery and technology,” he added.

LCCI President Kashif Anwar said that the marble industry of Pakistan has immense export potential which needs to be exploited.

Pakistan has high quality marble and stones but both quality and quantity are lost due to aged technology for grading, cutting, polishing and finishing.

“We are using blasting to extract marble as a result of which, many precious stones are lost at the initial stage,” he said.

Pakistan is prominent in the world for having green onyx, black granite, super white and other types of marble, but most of these are being exported in raw form, he added.

Anwar urged the government to introduce a special policy for the development of this sector and provide financial support to the people attached with the industry to help earn huge foreign exchange by enhancing exports.

He underlined the need for financing to the Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) sector. The high rate of discount rate is also hindering the growth of export, he remarked.

LCCI Executive Committee Member Chaudhry Khadim Hussain said that exports are imperative for the survival of local businessmen as the imports are not viable for those who do not have sufficient exports.

Pakistan is known for blocks, not for the slabs, he said, adding that the blocks have very low value as compared to the slabs.

“We do not have polishing and cutting facilities. We export marble in raw shape which comes back again after cutting and polishing,” Hussain remarked.

Pakistan is nowhere in the list of top exporting countries. “We should focus on the stone and marble sector as these resources are diminishing throughout the world but Pakistan has these in abundance.”

Former LCCI presidents Mian Muhammad Ashraf, Abdul Basit, Almas Hyder, former vice presidents Zeshan Khalil, Tahir Manzoor Chaudhry and executive committee members also spoke on the occasion. A documentary of available opportunities in the stone sector was also shown to the participants.