Over 40% of Iran’s decorative stone mines have gone out of business, says the chairman of Stone Association of Iran, referring to the ban on the export of unprocessed stones as the main reason behind the downturn in the sector.
Donya-e-Eqtesad also quoted Abolqasem Shafiei as saying the export of unprocessed stones is a common practice worldwide.
He cited the example of Italy—the world’s largest producer of decorative stones—and said unprocessed stone exports account for nearly half of the European country’s stone sales overseas.
