Export Earnings: China largest importer of marble

ISLAMABAD: China has emerged as the top importer of Pakistani marble by importing about 70,790 tons from July 2010 to March 2011 as against import of 31,921 tons during the same period last year. An official in the Ministry of Commerce said on Monday that the country earned Rs1.46 billion by exporting marble to China during the period under review. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) was the second top importer of Pakistani marble as it imported 2,994 tons of marble for Rs68.15 million during the nine-month period. Saudi Arabia was the third top importer, as it imported 2,515 tons of marble, which was worth Rs59.53 million. Pakistan is one of the top marble-exporting countries of the world. Huge quantities of the product get wasted every year due to traditional ways of exploration and lack of processing facilities.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 13^th, 2011.