Turkish Marble, Natural Stones and Machinery Producers Union (TÜMMER) Chairman Selahattin Onur has noted that one of the biggest impediments to the growth of the marble and natural stone sector is high energy prices and a lack of government support for the sector.



Onur, speaking to the Anatolia news agency, said that when comparing Turkey to its competitors in this sector -- many of which have weighty government support programs for their natural stone sectors -- none, except for Iran, possess petroleum resources. "If you look at fuel or electricity prices, it is obvious that it is difficult to be a producer in these sectors in Turkey. It is unclear how successful we can be without the backing of the government," he said.

Speaking on the use of imported marble and stones in public projects, Onur noted: "While we are working hard to sell our stones abroad and form special relationships with buyer nations, our government is importing stones from abroad for public buildings. There is no logical explanation to this. Our nation imports $40 million in granite annually, and something needs to be done about this by the government."

Speaking on the sector's performance in 2009, Onur said: "Sector problems we had before the economic crisis continued into 2009. Our producers are still trying to solve problems with costs, marketing, price volatility, expensive electricity and fuel, infrastructure, investments, tax discounts and transportation."

"Our competitors Italy, Greece and Egypt make it a requirement for municipality and public buildings to use marble produced within their countries. A measure like this could be implemented in Turkey," Onur said. He added that Turkey holds a third of the world's reserves of marble and natural stones.