First semester figures
The foreign trade figures for the 10 leading natural stone exporters worldwide for the first semester of 2007 are analysed below and compared with the first semester of 2006. The aim is to analyse the key players to provide an overview of export trends worldwide
The countries in question are China, Italy, Spain, Turkey, Brazil, India, Portugal, Belgium, Canada and Germany. The comparison was based on the exports in economic terms for the period between January-June 2007 compared to the same period of 2006. However, this was not possible in certain cases (China, India).
The data was obtained from different international organizations.
China
The leading exporter worldwide sold 2,849 million dollars of stone on foreign markets in 2006, which was 28.3% up on 2005. In terms of products, only exports of raw marble fell (-5%), while other sales increased.
Manufactured products (including paving stones and slate) account for over 95% of Chinese foreign sales. The main markets for manufactured granites and marbles are Japan, the United States, Korea, Kazakhstan and Germany, with Holland, Hong Kong, Belgium, the United Kingdom and Spain trailing someway behind.
Italy
Italian stone exports increased by 2.82% in the first half of 2007 compared to the same period of 2006, up to 898.6 million euros. This performance was due to the slight increase of sales in manufactured products (2%) and the fall in manufactured slate and raw granite exports.
As far as the main markets for Italian stone (the United States and Germany) were concerned, the performance was negative and they fell by 9.27% and 0.55%, respectively. However, the figures for Switzerland, UAE and the United Kingdom improved.
Spain
The figures were positive for Spanish exporters, as exports particularly increased for manufactured products, which offer the greatest added value. This indicates that the sector is looking for new markets for its products, as Spain's property market is forecast to slow down.
Spanish stone exports increased by 10.% in the first half of 2007 compared to the same period of 2006, up to 533.5 million euros.
Exports continued to grow steadily and seem to be based on strong foundations, as they exceeded the records set in 1999 during the first half of this year. The greatest increases were seen in raw slate and manufactured products. On the other hand, raw material sales increased to a lesser extent (the case of raw granite) or dropped slightly (raw marble).
Turkey
Turkey is yet another country which has seen its exports continue to grow. Proof of this is the 23.2% increase on the first half of 2006. In total, Turkey exported 568.5 million dollars between January-June of this year, with manufactured marble accounting for the majority of the sales, followed by raw marble and slabs.
Brazil
The leading stone exporter in the Americas recorded nearly 521 million dollars in exports in the first half of 2007, thanks to the increase in manufactured products (10.3%), paving stones (20.5%), manufactured slate (21.5%), while the least performing product was raw granite (4.1%).
India
The second largest exporter in Asia increased its sales by 27.1% between April 2005-March 2006 compared to April 2004 - March 2005, up to a total figure of 1,014.8 million dollars. This country mainly exports manufactured and raw granite and that is precisely the main reason for this major change. In the aforementioned period, India has gone from exporting more raw to more manufactured granite and its target markets are fundamentally the United States and, within Europe, Germany, Holland and the United Kingdom.
Portugal
Portuguese exports dropped 7.7% with respect to the first half of 2006 (according to Eurostat data), as the result of the drop in sales of all products except for raw marble. Even so, the country registered exports of 117.2 million euros during the first half of 2007. The main markets are Spain, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and Italy, within Europe, and Saudi Arabia, China and the United States in the rest of the world.
Belgium
Belgium, out of all the countries analysed, registered the most dramatic drop, as its exports dropped by 11%, to 91.2 million euros, (again according to Eurostat data). There is a general decrease in all product categories, but the sharpest drops were in the case of paving slabs and manufactured slate. Holland, France and Germany are the main markets for Belgian stone, particularly all manufactured product and raw granite.
Canada
The neighbour of the United States continued to witness a steady growth in its exports (5.35% with respect to January-June 2006). Its main client continues to be its neighbour to its south, with 83% of Canadian stone exports, mainly granite and manufactured slate, going to the United States.
In fact, the greatest growth was recorded by manufactured slate (149%), thanks to the significant increase in exports to the United Kingdom, France, Belgium and the United States.
Canada's stone exports were worth 83.3 million dollars between January and June 2007.
Germany
"Europe's driving force" has been kick-started and proof of this is the increase in its stone exports by 23% in the first half 2007, is up to nearly 70 million euros. The country mainly exports manufactured products, followed by paving slabs, manufactured slate and raw marble and granite. In general, the German products are sold to neighbouring countries, such as Switzerland (21.4%), Holland (15.7%), Austria (10.5%), United Kingdom (5.8%), Belgium (4.9%) and France (4.6%), even though 5.8% of the exports go to the United States.
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