KARACHI: All Pakistan Marble Mining Processing Industry and Exporters Association (APMMPIEA) on Thursday urged Pakistan Stone Development Company (PASDEC) to maintain transparency in allotting industrial plots in PASDEC’s industrial estate Marble City Risalpur.

Talking to Daily Times, BMG Chairman of APMMPIEA Sanaullah Khan said the allotment of industrial plots through balloting would be held on February 1, 2010.

He asked PASDEC Chief Executive Ehsanullah Khan to invite private sector genuine stakeholders to witness the auction in order to keep transparency in the process.

Khan said around 90 percent exports are catered by Karachi marble industries, Balochistan provides 75 percent of the raw material needs of the industry while rest is provided by Sindh. He said despite power outages the industry would surpass the government’s target of marble exports of $36 million till June 2010.

“We will hopefully touch over $44 million exports as around 15 percent growth is expected this fiscal while the country will cross $60 million export of all kinds of marble products till December 2010.”

The growth and export purely depends on the back of construction boom in Middle East and increase in Indian demand, Sanaullah said.

“Export to Dubai and other Middle East countries including Saudi Arab increases as compared to export to USA and European nations during this period,” he added.

He said presently export orders of marble products including tiles and slabs to Middle East, USA, China, Italy, Hong Kong and South Korea are in the pipeline. There is export potential of above $1 billion. Realising the potential in marble and granite sector, the last government approved in principle the project relating to the establishment of 10 model quarries, two machinery pools and four common facility training centres.

He said mining and quarry sector contributes nearly 0.6 percent to Pakistan’s gross domestic product (GDP) with an estimated value addition of more than Rs 16.5 billion.

He demanded the Federal Minister for Industries and Production Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani and Minister of State for Industries and Production Dr Ayatullah Durrani to hold a meeting with the industry members in order resolve the issues impending the growth and exports.

He said Sindh Minister for Mineral Development along with the marble sector exporters would visit Dadu district on February 6, 2010 for finalising the private sector lease formalities pending since 2005.