The Competitiveness Of Portuguese Stone In The International Market
Sep 29, 2020
The marble and decorative stone industry is one of the oldest traditional industries in Portugal. According to reports, Portuguese natural stone occupies a very important position in the world, and its output and export volume rank fifth in the world. In Europe, Portugal is the third largest stone producer and exporter after Italy and Spain, and marble exports rank second in the world. Since 2008, exports have increased year by year, and the current export rate has reached 75%. In 2013, Portuguese decorative stone exports reached the highest level in history, with sales reaching 340 million euros, a year-on-year increase of 6%, and surpassed the level before the 2008 financial crisis.
Related investigations show that in the EU countries, the largest exporters of Portuguese stone are Germany, Spain and France. Britain, Italy, Norway, Switzerland and even the United States are important countries for Portuguese stone exports. The Portuguese stone industry originated in the Alentejo, Fátima and Pero Pinheiro regions, and mainly produces marble, granite and sandstone. Although the total volume of stone trade between Portugal and China is not very large, many of its distributors are still very optimistic about the Chinese stone market and are constantly striving to expand their export business to China.
The competitiveness of Portuguese stone in the international market is due to the natural quality, variety and color of the stone, but it is more due to the strict quality control of the stone from mining to later design and processing. Portugal's stone mines are well mined, with advanced technology, complete and huge blocks, high yield and product quality, and neat stacking of blocks of various specifications, varieties, and designs. Portugal attaches great importance to stone technology research, training and services.
