Bangladesh's solitary granite mining corporation is lastly advancing toward financial earnings
The Maddhapara mine, operated by the Maddhapara Granite Mining Company under Petrobangla, has broken its own record for maximum stone extraction. Over the past eight months, the mine's daily stone extraction has averaged around 5,500 tonnes, exceeding the monthly production target by nearly 400,000 tonnes.
However, this achievement comes amidst challenges. The mine's primary customers have been local construction companies and government infrastructure projects, but in recent years, imported stones, particularly from India, have been favoured for projects such as road construction, railway projects, and projects under the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB).
This preference for imported stones has led to significant losses for the mine. In 2024 alone, the country's sole granite mine faced losses of nearly Tk30 crore due to unsold stock. The reason? The imported stones, while cheaper, are of inferior quality compared to the Maddhapara granite. For instance, 5-20mm size stones from India are priced at Tk120-Tk130 per cubic foot, while the same size stone from Maddhapara costs Tk140 per cubic foot.
The Maddhapara mine currently has a stockpile of over 1.2 million tonnes of stone, including 780,000 tonnes of blast stone suitable for railway use and 452,000 tonnes of boulders used in river training projects. The mine's complex marketing guidelines, which require buyers to book stones in advance, pay cash at banks, and arrange transportation on their own, have further discouraged individual buyers.
The restoration of the railway line for stone transport could significantly reduce transport costs. Currently, transport from Maddhapara to Dhaka costs Tk400-500 per tonne, and to Chattogram Tk900-1,000 per tonne. If the railway were restored, these costs could be reduced, making Maddhapara's granite more competitive.
Both the mining authority and the contractor have called upon stakeholders to use Maddhapara's granite in ongoing national projects instead of importing stone from abroad. The quality of the Maddhapara Granite Mine's granite is of superior international standard, making it an ideal choice for construction projects.
Despite these advantages, the mine faces a challenge in meeting the demand for specific stone sizes. Most construction works require stone sizes between 8 and 12 millimetres, which are not produced by the Maddhapara mine. To address this issue, the mine plans to focus on supplying granite to support regional development and construction needs.
Bangladesh's annual demand for stone is 21.6 million tonnes, with the majority being imported from India, Bhutan, and Dubai. The use of locally sourced, high-quality stone like that from the Maddhapara mine could not only reduce costs but also support the local economy.
In the face of these challenges, the Maddhapara Granite Mining Company remains committed to maintaining its high production standards and advocating for the use of its superior quality granite in national projects.
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