STONA 2012

The 10th International Granites and Stone fair,popularly known as STONA 2012 will be held at the bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC) from February,1 to 4th February,2012.The Bangalore's STONA 2012 is a ' must visit' along with stone fairs such as Verona;Istanbul;,Xiamen etc.on the International calendar of exhibitions on natural minerals.

STONA 2012,will be organised by All India Granites and Stone Association(AIGSA).When the first STONA was held in 1987 ,export of granite from India was Rs.50 crores.In 2010,,exports have reached more than Rs.6000 crores.This industry is growing at 20% annually.

Addressing the media, Mr.J.B.Surana,President,All India Granites & Stone Association said,'India is the largest producer of polished stone and the country is the 3rd largest exporter of stone in the world'.Further he said that our country has 27.2% of the stone deposits in the world,of which only 2% is being used.

In the anxiety to boost exports of polished stone,the government should not compromise on the environmental aspects and it should not go the iron ore way.