According to Muhammad Shakeel Munir, President of the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI), Pakistan has a huge potential to generate billions of dollars from marble exports.
He bemoaned the fact that non-mechanised extraction was wasting roughly 70% of marble products, and suggested that the government allow duty-free machinery imports to enable the sector generate value-added products and promote exports.
Munir, who presided over an oath-taking ceremony for the All Pakistan Marble Industries Association (APMIA) on Saturday, stated that Pakistan has vast marble and granite reserves, but that the country has been unable to fully use them due to a lack of contemporary technology and apparatus.
“The marble sector’s growth is being hampered by high electricity tariffs,” he stated. The president of the ICCI encouraged the government to grant discounts or tax exemptions on the industry’s electrical expenses.
He noted that the cost of sea freight for marble exporters had increased dramatically. “To help marble exporters, the government should issue a volume-based freight discount or rebate,” he added.
