Pakistan’s marble and granite industry is missing out on value addition due to the lack of feasible financing programs.
According to sources, this was revealed in a letter sent by Bilal Khan Mehmood, Chairman of the All Pakistan Marble Industries Association, to Prime Minister’s Adviser on Industries and Production, Haroon Akhtar Khan.
Sources said the letter expressed concern over the limited and ineffective performance of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA) in the marble and dimension stone sector. It stated that the marble and granite industry primarily consists of small and medium-sized enterprises, but over the past several years, SMEDA officials have neither prepared a comprehensive sectoral roadmap nor established cluster-based processing zones or common facility centers.
Association sources said that due to the absence of feasible SME project profiles for financing and target programs for technology upgradation, the industry is deprived of value addition, even though the dimension stone sector has the full potential to contribute significantly to regional development, employment, and exports. The export of raw blocks reflects the fact that effective SME policies are not being implemented.
According to sources, the association has urged the Ministry of Industries and Production to conduct a detailed review of SMEDA’s sectoral performance and, in line with the Strategic Trade Policy Framework 2025-2030, issue directives to develop a time-bound and results-oriented action plan for this sector.
