Fars focuses on processing capacity close to its quarries
IRNA reports that Fars province has 195 ornamental and cladding-stone quarries. Mohammad-Hossein Sherafat, head of the provincial Mining Engineering Organisation, says a substantial share of the material nevertheless leaves the province without local processing.
The issues identified include ageing production lines, limited shared infrastructure, fuel-supply constraints and financial and trade obstacles. The proposal under discussion is a specialist stone city in Shiraz that would bring processing and services closer to the quarry districts.
Editorial context
The report documents an industry request, not approval of a new industrial hub. Assessing its impact would require a project, investment, timetable and actual capacity. It nevertheless highlights a clear industrial question: how much processing can remain in the province before the material is sold.