Afghanistan Exports 117,000 Tons of Marble in Five Months

The Ministry of Industry and Commerce (MoIC) reported that in the first five months of the current solar year, 117,000 tons of marble have been exported abroad.

Akhundzada Abdul Salam Jawad, spokesperson for the ministry, said that the value of this amount of marble is $6.1 million.

Akhundzada Abdul Salam Jawad further added that currently 108 marble processing factories are operating across the country.

The spokesperson for the Ministry of Industry and Commerce said: “During the first five months of the year 1403, marble worth 6.1 million dollars, with a total weight of approximately 117,000 tons, has been exported to countries such as Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Turkmenistan, India, Germany, Russia, Uzbekistan, China, Mexico, Pakistan, and other countries. In this sector, 108 factories are operating in Kabul and Herat.”

Afghanistan is one of the countries rich in precious and semi-precious stones, especially marble. However, so far, there has been limited investment in the extraction and processing of mines in the country.

The Chamber of Commerce and Investment, considering the importance of Afghanistan’s precious and semi-precious stones, especially marble, in regional countries, said that to increase exports and national revenue through this means, it is necessary to process them within the country.

Jan Agha Naveed, spokesperson for the Chamber of Commerce and Investment, said: “Afghanistan’s marble and other precious stones hold the first rank in the world and have more buyers. To increase exports to European countries, the United Arab Emirates, and other countries that need these, more steps should be taken.”

Mohammad Nabi Afghan, an economic affairs expert, said: “The government should have a regular plan for processing marble within the country and exporting it abroad so that in the future we know to which countries and to what extent we can export.”

Previously, the acting Minister of Industry and Commerce said that an agreement has been made with Turkmenistan for the export of 150,000 tons of rebar and 100,000 cubic meters of marble, which are expected to be exported to this country in the near future.