Marble & Granite Industry in the Frontier

Publishing Date: Thursday, April 24 2003

NWFP's marble reserves which constitute 97 per cent of the country's total deposits can well earn US $ 40m annually only through exports against the US $ 4m exports done in 1997. According to official estimates the figure of US $ 40m could well be achieved in three years time and the sector could fetch much more than that if organized, and exploited with a comprehensive market strategy.

It is essentially needed that that province should make an effort to stand on its feet. And this can only be done if economic growth could be derived from the sector in which the region has got tremendous potential. Banking on the local natural potential is also all the more important for a steady and sustainable economic progress. NWFP, Balochistan and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) jointly house marble reserve of 160m tons. Whereas the country's granite reserves run to several billion tons as only the Henzal White Granite's deposits in Gilgit are over 4.14bn tons.

Though demand of marble and granite kept on increasing in the world over during the last 20 years, we could not capture significant place in the world market failing to get maximal benefit out of our nature-bestowed vast potential especially in the NWFP which abodes over 97 per cent of the country's total reserves in marble.

Failure to do so could well be attributed to the least encouragement and lack of patronage this sector has ever been meted out in the past. Resultantly, the unorganized and unchecked private sector is causing wastage of 61 per cent to 73 of the whatever quantity of marble is extracted every year, Unwisely blasting techniques is resulting high wastage rate and loss of valuable resources endangering quarries and environment by disturbing the ecosystem in an unplanned manner.

The wastage rate, which is one of the highest in the world, gives, the reflection of old age mining reflection of old age mining techniques being practiced in Pakistan. The marble and granite reserve could give boost to the national economy if exploited and marketed properly keeping in view the world market trends. According to independent experts, the country's total export of marble which ended up at just around US $ 5m (out of the world's total annual trade/exports of US$ 6150m) in 1997 could well be raised to as much as US $ 40m in a span of three years and it could turn out to be much more than that if the marble sector be concentrated on at least by the provincial government.

A look at the world marble trends reflects that the world exchange of raw marble rose from 988,000 tons in 1989 to 1,987,000 in 1997; marble slabs rose from 603,000 tons in 1994 to 767,000 tons in 1997; raw granite rose from, 4140,000 tons in 1989 to 7,515,000 tons in 1997; granite slabs rose from 754,000 tons in 1994 to 960,000 tons in 1997; processed granite rose from 3,318,000 tons in 1994, processed marble rose from 3,837,000 tons in 1997.

Whereas in totality processed marble and granite rose from 2,904,000 tons in 1989 to 8,040 tons in 1997 showing an increase by over 36 per cent in eight years. Through production and use of marble recorded increase the world over by around 36 per cent during the last eight years, we did not keep at pace with the world market demand and our total extraction rose only by 18 per cent in 20 years with total tending at 137,000 tons in 1996-97 of which 61 per cent to 73 per cent wen into quarry wastage.

These are the sectors for which we don't have to import any raw material for production purposes (except for the modern machinery) hence these are cost productive. The country has the infrastructure sufficient at least to begin with, vast potential with a large variety of colours of granite and marble stones and above all hard working labour to get the country's marble and granite sector acknowledged the world over. To bring the country's marble and granite in the limelight and make room in the world's major markets, concentration should be made on marking only the raw marble and its intermediate and construction products in view of their high consumption in the Middle East, Far East and some of the European countries, which forms almost 50 per cent of the world's marble and granite market segment and where we do have much more bright chances to compete.

For a much more improved quality and raise in quantitative productivity to meet international standards and demand, respectively, local quarry master's skill would have to be developed so that rate of wastage could be brought down. To attain this goal acquaintance with the modern technology and its extensive usage would be required. Bank and DFIs can also play an important role by providing liquidity to organize the unorganized marble sector.

To facilitate the locale miners and manufacturers, government is striving to arrange reconnaissance of the area in general besides doing detailed exploration of promising areas and preparation of topographic, geological maps and collection of samples for laboratory study to enable this important sector to play its due role to steer the national economy from the current recessionary period.