Italy keen on setting up 'stone parks' in Bangalore

Bangalore, Feb 4 (UNI) Italy, the global leader in stone technology, is now keen to take its association with the Indian granite and stone industry to a higher pedestal through greater synergy.

Sounding bullish on the growth of Indian granite and stone industry, Italian Trade Commissioner in India Erica Di Giovancarlo today said setting up integrated stone-tech parks would be an ideal approach to realise the potential of Indian granite and stone industry in the competitive global perspective.

Speaking at the venue of Stona-2008, the country's biggest exposition of granite and marble, which would begin here tomorrow, she said Italian companies were showcasing their products in an exclusive pavilion under the Italian Association of makers and users of machinery and equipment for working on natural stones, and Italian Trade Commission.

Top Italian companies like AMS group, Barsanti Macchine, Essegra, F.lli Poggi, GDA Marmi e Graniti, HTM Group, MD Dairo, Michielotto Gru and Services, Tesimag and Ultamatic would be showcasing their products, she added.

India had emerged as the third largest buyer of Italian stone technology after the US and Spain, spending 59 million Euro and registering a 69 per cent growth from 2005. India's import of raw materials, mainly Italian marble, had seen a rise of about 70 per cent, All India Granite and Stone Association President R Veeramani told UNI.

He said that in 2006, the Indian stone industry confirmed its leading role in the international market by achieving raw granite exports of 2.49 million tonnes, which was 33 per cent of the global exports. Its share in world exports of finished products was also showing a healthy growth. Half of the country's exports was to the US, he said.

Upswing in finished products made India a key market for companies making machinery for stone extraction and processing.

Market for more sophisticated equipment like numerical control centres and machinery for surface treatments would have a greater demand in the near future, he added.

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