Granite & Stone industry to hold its 4-day fair Stona in Bengaluru from Feb 12

Bengaluru: The Federation of Indian Granite & Stone Industry will hold its 16th edition of international granite & stone fair STONA 2025 at the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre from February 12 to February 15. Eighteen countries would participate this year with their new offerings in marble, granite and other stones, the Federation said in a statement.

India is one of the world's top five granite producers with reserves estimated at 46.23 billion cubic meters and employing 2.5 million people. Yet we have so many challenges still plaguing the industry, the top ones being shortage of raw material, regulatory hurdles, supply chain disruptions, policies around quarry leases and environmental clearances. These demand the immediate attention from the central government since our sector is integral to India's mining and export profile, Federation president Krishna Prasad said.

India, he said, had been home to 15% of the world's natural stone reserves and its exports had exceeded $ 2 billion with Karnataka alone contributing Rs 2000 crore. But the industry has been facing acute raw material shortages due to quarry closures in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh & Tamil Nadu and due to competition from artificial materials like quartz and porcelain, he said.


The industry has also struggled with a low recovery rate of saleable stone blocks ranging from 5 to 20%. With the right policy support and technological advancements, the sector can achieve an annual growth of 8 to 10% bolstered by export growth of 15- 20%, the Federation president said.