Russian stone exports up

The volume of building stone exported by Russia increased by 20% year-on-year in 2011, according to a study by Intesco Research Group.

While this figure is a reversal of the trend between 2008 and 2010, when volumes fell year by year, the 2011 results did not reach the heights of 2008, before the global economic crisis hit.

The study reported that limestone made up 92.6% of Russian exports in this sector during 2011, with marble and granite accounting for 3.7% each. The Russian Federation sells building stone to many former Soviet Republics as well as to Germany. The major importers are Ukraine, Latvia and Moldova.

The Intesco Research Group said that Russia's imminent joining of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) held promise for Russian construction materials producers to increase their sales abroad.