Faiza Tehseen

Mechanised mining, value addition, and quality marketing are crucial to boost the marble and granite industry of Pakistan as the export of marble and granite in raw form is depriving the country of the real value of the minerals. “Only finished products from marble and granite should be exported with the proper seal of ‘Made in Pakistan’,” stressed Muhammad Sajjad Ahmed, manager of ZAK Granite, a manufacturing firm based in Islamabad. Talking to WealthPK, he said Pakistan had a vast variety of dimension stones with immense deposits and unique colours at different places in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He said Pakistani granite varieties were better than the imported ones.

“The nephro green granite variety of Pakistan is far better than the varieties found worldwide. The Emerald pearl of Finland dominates the market as far as its density is concerned. However, Pakistani ibex surpasses the Finish emerald pearl in density. Nephro green seems like nephrite, hard like iron and is considered the best material for flooring, stair and kitchen tops,” he explained. Speaking of the potential of marble and granite, Sajjad Ahmed said Picasso, a variety of flooring stones, was in high demand in the world. “Foreign firms buy it from Pakistan and market it after value addition with their brand name. The same is the case with many other dimension stones. Unfortunately, they are exported in raw form to other countries,” he added.

He said Pakistani mining firms lacked modern drilling equipment to extract the minerals without wastage. “The mining firms in Italy, China and other countries use specific chemicals and cutting tools to avoid cracking of the mined products,” he said, adding it was important for the government to come up with a policy to put quarrying on modern lines. Furthermore, he said foreign direct investment was also important to improve the mining sector. “Pakistan is not in a position to launch huge projects by itself, which can be best done if we have foreigners willing to invest in the local mining sector,” he said, calling or launching joint ventures involving local and foreign investors. Sajjad Ahmed said the second-largest mining of marble/granite in Pakistan was being carried out by a Chinese firm in Mansehra district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He said Pakistan should benefit from China’s expertise and advanced mining technology to develop its mining sector.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk