Turkey aims to become the number one marble exporter in the world with a target of 2.5 billion U.S. dollars export by the year 2010, the semi-official Anatolia news agency reported Thursday.
Turkish State Minister for Foreign Trade Kursad Tuzmen unveiled the target in the 5th International Marble Fair which kicked off in the biggest Turkish city of Istanbul on Thursday.
Tuzmen said Turkey was one of the seven countries that met 70 percent of global demand for natural stone, adding that it followed China and Brazil in the list of countries that increased production the most.
Turkey is estimated to have 33 percent of the world's marble reserves, which could meet global demand for 80 years with its proved reserves of 1.6 billion tons, said the report.
Nearly 600 companies from 28 countries attended the 5th International Marble, Natural Stone Products and Technologies Exhibition, it added.