Angola Processes Only 10% of Rocks Extracted in South Region

Lubango — Only 10 percent of the 750,000 tons of ornamental stone extracted in southern Angola is processed by the local industry. The rest is exported in its raw state to ten destinations in Asia, America, and Europe.

The Association of Producers, Processors, Traders, and Exporters of Ornamental Stones of Angola (APEPA) has 21 affiliated stone companies that extract the mineral in Huíla and Namibe. However, only eight of these companies have invested in processing, which takes place in Huíla, Namibe, Benguela, Huambo, and Luanda.

In an interview with ANGOP in Lubango, APEPA president Marcelo Siku said these companies process granite and marble into cubes, polished and unpolished slabs, kitchen materials, gravestones, and mosaics.

He said the finished products are mostly consumed by the domestic market but some are exported to Portugal, France, China, India, and Poland.

Siku said that 90 percent of production is exported in raw form -- around 600,000 tons per year -- to markets such as China, Italy, Portugal, Spain, France, India, Singapore, Taiwan, Slovenia, and Poland.

Current production yields 100 million U.S. dollars annually for operators.

Ornamental stone production in Huíla province increased by more than 99% in 2022, representing 96% of national production.

APEPA officially came into existence in 2023, with the formalization process beginning in 2016. Currently, it brings together companies from the provinces of Huíla, Namibe, Cunene, Cuanza Sul, Huambo, and Benguela. MS/DAN/AMP

Read the original article on ANGOP.

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