HERAT (Pajhwok): Officials and industry representatives in Herat say 45 decorative stone processing factories operating in the western province’s industrial park are meeting domestic demand, while part of their output is exported to neighbouring countries and regional markets.
Mohammad Naser Amin, head of the Herat Chamber of Industries and Mines, told Pajhwok Afghan News that 45 factories were currently engaged in the production and processing of decorative stones in the Herat Industrial Park.
He said the province’s stone industry had reached self-sufficiency, with its products meeting domestic demand while also being exported to Turkmenistan, Iran, several Arab countries and other regional markets.
According to Amin, millions of US dollars have been invested in the extraction, production and processing of decorative stones, contributing to the industry’s expansion, increased exports and the creation of employment opportunities.
Akram Najibi, head of a decorative stone manufacturing company in Herat, said his factory produces and processes various types of decorative and construction stones in different designs and sizes.
“Our products are processed in accordance with international standards and are capable of competing with products from Europe and the United States in terms of quality,” he said.
Najibi explained stone extracted from mines undergoes several stages of cutting, polishing, designing, processing and packaging before being supplied to domestic and international markets.
He said marble and travertine were the most sought-after products. Although travertine is less expensive than marble, it remains one of the most widely used construction stones.
Najibi added that transportation costs varied depending on customers’ destinations, but freight charges had not had a significant impact on the company’s exports.
Meanwhile, Haji Abdul Khaliq Rashid, a decorative stone trader in Herat, said exports of processed Afghan decorative and construction stones, particularly those produced in Herat, had increased in recent years and demand had grown.
He said Herat’s stone products were exported to several neighbouring countries and regional markets.
Mohammad Rafi, an employee at one of the stone processing factories in Herat, said the expansion of the industry had created employment opportunities for young people, enabling many to find work in Afghanistan instead of seeking jobs abroad.
He urged investors to increase investment in the sector to create more jobs, saying the continued development of the stone industry could contribute significantly to the country’s economic growth.
Mining expert Engineer Juma Khan Adil said Afghanistan possessed abundant reserves of decorative stones, including marble, travertine and granite. He said processing these resources inside the country instead of exporting them in raw form would significantly increase their economic value.
“When stone is exported in its raw form, most of the profit goes to importing countries. But if it is cut, polished and turned into finished products inside the country, its value increases several times while creating thousands of jobs,” he said.
Adil said continued investment in stone extraction and, in particular, domestic processing, alongside improvements in infrastructure and the expansion of export markets, could make Afghanistan’s stone industry one of the country’s key drivers of economic growth.
hz/kk
