By Faiza Tehseen ISLAMABAD, March 28 (INP-WealthPK): Pakistan has vast deposits of soapstone in a variety of shades in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Blochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan. It is to note here that soapstone represents 0.0057% of total world trade. With the year 2021 as a base period, global market of natural steatite/talc is projected to reach $2.3 billion by the year 2026 with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4%. Soapstone, also named as French chalk, talc and steatite, is found in white, grey and green hues. Luckily, all types are found in Pakistan. Taj Muhammad, assistant manager of geology at Pakistan Mineral Development Corporation, told WealthPK that soapstone deposits in Koh-e-Safed area in Kurram tribal district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa met the international standards in all aspects. However, he said that mining in the area could not be carried out from December to March due to heavy snowfall. He said that the government should extend incentives to the mining firms to continue mining even during the snowfall. He said that the Kurram soapstone’s brightness ranged from 92% to 98%, adding that soapstone deposits needed to be explored in the subsurface. “Preparation of enlarged maps of mineralised area (at least from 1cm to 100 meters) is important in this regard.” Taj Muhammad said that varying amounts of other minerals like micas, chlorite, amphiboles, quartz, magnesite and carbonates are also found in soapstone. “Installation of processing and value-addition units is important for tapping the full potential of the reserves,” he said, adding that the mineral’s market value ranged from approximately Rs28,000 to Rs32,000 per tonne in raw form. Graded powdered form/granules or other value-added products can also be gotten from the mineral, he said, adding that market value depends upon the mineral’s proper grading. It is important to note here that soapstone is used in multiple industries, including paper, rubber, ceramics, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, paint, pigment, thermoplastic production, pulp material etc. It is also used as a coating agent against corrosion and as a solvent reducer. At the international level, mostly soastone is mined in China, India, South Korea, Japan, US, Canada, Mexico, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Argentina, Brazil, Middle East, Africa, etc. During 2019, Pakistan exported soapstone worth $17.4 million. According to United States’ COMTRADE database of international trade for 2020, Pakistan’s exports of soapstone (natural steatite/talc) to some of the countries are shown in the following table: