Ceramic tile and sanitary ware manufacturers will approach the Ministries of Commerce and Petroleum and Natural Gas seeking a ban on exports of critical raw materials such as quartz.
They also want natural gas at a cheaper price. Stating that the industry was feeling the heat of slowdown, the Indian Council of Ceramic Tiles and Sanitaryware (ICCTAS), said, “High production and input costs are eating into our margins.
Energy accounts for nearly 40 per cent of input costs for the ceramic tiles industry and it has made manufacturing in India very expensive compared to neighbouring nations.
Also raw materials like feldspar and quartz are exported.” Shreekant Somany, Chairman, ICCTAS, said, the Indian tile and sanitaryware market was the third largest after China and Brazil. ICCTAS also asked the Government to include ceramic tiles industry in priority sector list under Natural Gas Utilisation Policy and Allocation of Natural Gas.