HERAT CITY (Pajhwok): The sale of marble stone in the markets of western Herat province declined this year compared to the past year which impacted the excavation of marble, according to marble excavators on Thursday.
Asim Rahimi, head of the Afghan Marwarid Marble Excavation Company and contractor of Chest-i-Sharif marble mine, told Pajhwok Afghan News his company excavated up to 3,000 tonnes of marble from its natural reservoir on average monthly.
He said only his company in the past excavated up to 5,000 tonnes of marble in the past monthly in the past.
He said 15 percent of the current excavated marble was exported to the foreign countries while the remaining was consumed domestically.
He linked the deteriorated condition of Chest-i-Sharif Road one of the main barrier in the excavation of marble and said due to this issue the price of marble was high.
“It takes six hours to transfer the stone to the factor in the city, if the road is asphalted it will be easy and economical to transfer the stone,” he added.
Eng. Najibullah Mohibi, deputy head of the Sang-i-Nagin Asia Company, said the excavation contract of marble reservoir awarded to people who were unable to excavate it properly and efficiently.
He said they could improve the production of marble if the stone is properly excavated and handed over to them efficiently.
He said Chest-i-Sharif marble was of high quality and its sale was down due to dwindling market condition.
Mawlavi Bashir Mohammad Seerat, head of the Commerce and Industry Department, said that Herat marble was exported to UAE, Iran, Turkmenistan and Pakistan.
He added the smuggling of marble had stopped completely and nobody will be allowed to do so.
Naseer Ahmad Nasiri, a senior official of the Mining and Petroleum Department, said annually up to 60,000 tonnes of marble was excavated from nine reservoirs of Chest-i-Sharif which generated over $3 million of revenue.
He said 70 percent excavated marble stone was consumed inside the country and the remaining 30 percent was exported.
In the past insecurity was a great challenge to promote the excavation of Chest-i-Sharif marble while currently the dwindling market condition emerged as huge barrier.
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