Markets and Industry

During the last 15 years, while the Indian granite industry has gone through a strong growth period with a major expansion in extraction of blocks and in the production of slabs and tiles, another less known segment has also been growing steadily and increasing its market share in the world markets. We refer to the Indian gravestone manufacturing industry is still growing steadily. The important and interesting point to note is that this industry and its products have no market at all in India; it is a 100% export oriented industry.

The U.S, market is a very fractured market with various levels of distribution. Producers typically are quarries with small fabrication plants capable normally of producing only cubical work. This work is sold to contractors for cladding of commercial buildings, or large residential jobs for walls and retainer walls or other uses in residential construction. Very few producers are capable of producing tiles and slabs for the residential market.

Note by editors - This article was written in 2004, it needs to be read in the historical context and not a reflection if today's market condition. Sept 2020

Fashion, a 26% annual increase in house prices and the emergence of the bathroom as the new home hot-spot, have stimulated UK sales in natural stone tiling for the home. Claire Santry reports.

This is not Raw Silk from China to make exquisite fabric for the fashion designers of the world. This is the fashionable granite from India that the Chinese are fond of!

Raw Silk is among the most imported granites into China from India after Black Galaxy, Ruby Red and Tan Brown.

Raw Silk Granites is basically of two types:

Raw Silk Ivory

Raw Silk Ivory quarries are located in a village by name Varchur located approximately 26 kms. from Madurai city in the Southern State of Tamilnadu, India. Madurai city can be reached by flights from Madras (Chennai).

This exclusive report looks at the main sources of decorative stone on the 17.075.400 km² territory of the Russian Federation, the leading quarrying and processing companies, imports, exports, the consumer market and future prospects. Author Yuri Sychov is Head of the Stone Dept. of yhe Federal Institute of Mineral Resources, and President of the Stone House Club in Moscow.

A Central Asian country of great natural beauty and proud nomadic traditions, Kyrgyzstan shares borders with Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and China. It is the farthest eastern Central Asian republic of the former Soviet Union. With an area of 198.500 km2 the landscape is rugged and mountainous - the average elevation is 2.750 m and almost 90% lies more than 1.500 m above sea level. Most of the 5 million or so population live in the valleys of the north and west. Agriculture (chiefly livestock farming) is the main activity.

Viktor Yushchenko´s election as President of the Ukraine was confirmed on January 20th 2005. He supports a deepening of his country´s frail democracy and improved contacts with the west whilst maintaining traditional ties with Russia. In October last year, an international decorative stone exhibition was held in Kiev, the capital city. Leading Italian companies took part. All aspects of the Ukrainian stone industry are analyzed in this report by Paul Daniel and Oleg Geleta.

Every year the Spanish Stone Federation (FDP) compiles a detailed report on the state of the natural stone industry of the country with a wide range of statistics on production, exports, imports, divided by different autonomous communities. The complete report related to the year 2004 is about 100 pages long, and more information can be obtained at telephone (+ 34) 91 388 14 67 or carmen.lopezbarrajon@fdp.es. Below we publish some of the more import statistics relating to foreign trade in natural stone.

Ester Nelly Castro, Graciela Castro, María Angélica Matar, Juan Carlos Perucca

In the province of San Juan there are important deposits of marbles which have an intermittent production since many decades, in three well defined districts:

- District San Juan Centre (Pie de Palo-La Laja)
- District San Juan Sur (Divisadero / Cieneguita)
- District San Juan East (Valle Fértil)