Bengaluru to host 15th edition of the Bi annual STONA

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: The 15th edition of the bi-annual STONA, the third largest international stone fair, will be held in Bengaluru from 15th to 18th February 2023, at the Bangalore international exhibition centre.

The four-day programme will host 3000 stalls featuring countries like China, Turkey, Iran, Sweden, and many more alongside India. The event is a flagship initiative of the Federation of Indian granite and stone industry (FIGSI). The inauguration ceremony will be attended by the Minister of Mines and Geology, along with Chief Minister, Basarvaj Bommai.

“The event is a biannual one and so many service providers, suppliers, exporters, and manufacturers will be displaying new interventions and technology. The event is an opportunity for the stone industry as it is the ground for communicating and finding relevant technologies for the smooth functioning of this sector,” FIGSI president Ishwinder Singh said.

Being the second largest deposit of natural stones in the world, India boasts 15 percent of the world’s natural stone reserves which is equivalent to 46.23 billion cubic meters. India is the fifth largest granite-producing nation alongside China and Brazil. The stone industry employs over two million people and the previous year, the exports of natural stones stood at Rs. 15000 crores.

“There is no gatekeeping and the event is for anyone and everyone who wants to learn and be a part of this journey,” Chairman, STONA, and vice president, Manoj Kumar said. The event will host two seminars on subjects like Sustainable quarrying of natural stones from geological aspects and sustainable use of natural stones in architecture. Eminent speakers from the industry will deliver talks.