National granite reserve released as Indon supply disrupted

SINGAPORE — The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) is activating the release of its national stockpile of granite, in light of the temporary disruption in the supply of granite from Indonesia.

The national stockpile for granite was last activated in 2007, when there was a short disruption. In the same year, the Government activated the national stockpile of sand after the Indonesian government issued a blanket ban on sand exports.

Last month, Indonesia imposed an export ban on a range of mineral exports globally, which has reportedly affected some construction projects here. Yesterday, the BCA said it would activate its granite stockpile from Feb 5 for main contractors who have ongoing projects that require granite for concreting works.

“The release of the national stockpile will tide the industry over, while it ramps up supply from other regional sources. The BCA urges the industry to continue to diligently look for alternative sources and diversify,” the BCA said.

The authority is also helping importers and other stakeholders in the industry to ramp up supply from other sources of granite.