by Mahmoud Fouly, Emad al-Azrak
CAIRO, May 22 (Xinhua) -- Egypt can learn from the Chinese expertise and advanced technology to boost the quarry sector which is very promising and witnessing an unprecedented leap, an Egyptian official said in a recent interview with Xinhua.
"The quarry sector is promising and distinguished, as Egypt is rich in unique quarries with its rare materials with high quality, various colors and rare specifications," said Ibrahim Ghali, head of the Quarry Section of the Chamber of Building Materials Industries at the Federation of Egyptian Industries (FEI).
"It can be a leading industry in the Egyptian economy in the coming period," he added.
According to Ghali, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi encouraged boosting the quarry sector to save foreign currencies, provide more job opportunities and increase production to meet the needs of the industrial and urban development in Egypt.
Egypt has about 3,000 quarries, 40 percent of which are located in Red Sea Province, 20 percent in Upper Egypt and 15 percent in Suez Province.
The country annually produces about 5 million tons of natural ornamental stones, according to the Quarry Section chief.
Ghali described cooperation with China in the field as "great," referring to several Chinese companies working in the quarry sector in Egypt, either in raw materials or end-user products.
The Egyptian official expressed his aspiration for Egypt to cooperate with China to boost its own quarry sector.
"China has great experience in the quarry sector and I hope there will be further cooperation with the Chinese side in this industry, especially as China is one of the biggest importers of Egypt's quarry products and the Chinese companies are strongly present in the Egyptian quarry market," he said.
Ghali noted that there is a long history of cooperation between Egypt and China in the industry, adding "China is the largest foreign investor in the field of quarry."
"We hope that there will be fruitful cooperation with the Chinese in the technology required for quarry products and the training of technical personnel, as China has vast and distinguished expertise in the industry," Ghali told Xinhua.
According to Ghali, Egypt has been exerting efforts to develop the quarry industry to attract more investments and increase the added value of the sector, which until recently was based on exporting raw materials.
Among the efforts is the ongoing discussion of the quarry law at the Egyptian parliament on an amendment which would provide a suitable and attractive environment for investment in the field.
"Egypt has recently witnessed an unprecedented development in logistics services, road networks, infrastructure and energy, which are key factors for the development of the quarry industry," said the chief of the Quarry Section of the Chamber of Building Materials Industries.
Ghali explained that the Egyptian government is trying hard to manufacture the necessary supplies for the quarry industry.
"We are currently planning to establish an international stone institute that will be unique and unprecedented in the world," he said.
Ghali also highlighted the government's work on establishing industrial complexes close to the quarries, which would provide suitable conditions to boost the industry, save the time, money and effort consumed in transportation and increase the competitive advantage of quarry products.
"A number of technology-based stone factory complexes have already been established in Beni Suef Province and Al-Galala area of Red Sea Province," he said.
