CRISIS ‘BYPASSED’ ITALY
While Turkey, one of the two largest natural stone producing countries in the world, is experiencing troubled times especially in the block market, the situation in Italy looks different. Figures for the first 5 months of 2024 show that despite the economic recession affecting the world, Italy’s natural stone sector continues to be strong. In the 5-month period, Italy’s revenue from natural stone exports increased by 4.2% compared to the same period last year.
CHINESE MARKET GREW BY 17.5%
However, the real difference between Turkey and Italy emerges in the block market. Because the Italians’ block exports in the first 5 months of 2024 have increased by 9.1%. The figures indicate that the revenue from the Chinese market also increased by 17.5% to 84.9 million Euros. Italy’s exports of processed products grew by 3 percent. In the US market, which is the leader of processed product exports, Italians earned 205.2 million Euros with an increase of 12.1% in the 5-month period.
MACHINERY EXPORTS IMPACTED
Italian exports of machinery and consumables are on the contrary. The Italian machinery sector, which contracted by 13.6% in the first 5 months of 2024 compared to the previous year, suffered the biggest blow from the USA. The sharp decline of 43.4% in the USA, the country where Italy exports the most machinery and consumables, was accompanied by a 32.4% decline in Germany and a 6.3% decline in Canada. The strange picture is that machinery exports to Turkey grew by 63.7% despite the difficult economic conditions in our country.
BRAZIL PEAKED
Brazil is undoubtedly the most remarkable country of the last 2 years in the natural stone sector. This mobility of Brazil, which has gained a strong momentum with its colorful and eye-catching stones, is reflected in the figures. According to the data of the first 4 months of 2024, Brazil has realized the highest natural stone exports of the last 10 years. The country, which exported 387.9 million dollars in the January-April 2024 period, managed to increase its income by 15.7% compared to the same period of 2023. The data released by the Brazilian Natural Stone Exporters Center (Centrorochas) also revealed the value of the US market for Brazil. While 58% of Brazil’s exports went to the US, China ranked second with 14.1%, Italy third with 6.7%, Mexico fourth with 5%, and the UK fifth with 1.6%.
LOSS IN PORTUGAL: 9.2%
Like Turkey, Portugal is another country where strong winds blow in the natural stone sector. Figures for the first half of 2024 clearly reveal the loss experienced by the Portuguese natural stone sector. Portugal, which exported a total of 937 thousand 568 tons of natural stone between January-June 2024, earned 241 million Euros. Compared to the first 6 months of 2023, this figure indicates a 9.29% revenue loss. The decrease in product quantity is 12.36%. The only data that can be considered positive for Portugal is the revenue per ton. The country, which earned 257.9 euros per ton in the first 6 months of 2024, has achieved a price increase of 3.51% compared to the same period last year.
GERMANY FALLS SHARPLY
Germany is one of the countries where the worldwide economic stagnation has taken its toll. In Europe’s giant country, the statistics for 2023 are enough to explain the situation in the construction sector. So much so that natural stone consumption in Germany experienced a sharp decline of 19.1% in 2023 compared to the previous year. The figure spent on natural stone was announced as 629.9 million Euros. This sharp decline in the natural stone market, which grew by an average of 6% in recent years until 2023, was reflected both locally and internationally. Local natural stone production in Germany declined by 5.4%, natural stone exports by 31.4% and natural stone imports by 4.3%. The German Natural Stone Association (DNV) announced that they do not expect this downward trend to reverse until 2025.
