The city is gearing up to host the India Stonemart 2005 international stone exhibition for the third time, with the country said to hold the first position in stone production.

The event will be held at the Sitapura Export Promotion Industrial Park here Jan 28-Feb 1.

The exhibition's organisers are the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), the Centre for Development of Stones (CDOS) and the Rajasthan State Industrial Development and Investment Corp (RIICO).

CDOS chief R.K. Gupta said: "Preparations for Stonemart are in full swing."

The exhibition would be spread over a 12,000 sq ft area, he said. About 85 percent of the space has already been reserved while enquiries are on for the rest, he added.

RIICO chairman Rakesh Hooja said about 1,000 delegates from abroad are expected to participate in India Stonemart 2005.

Gujarat, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and Uttaranchal have confirmed their participation in the fair.

Hooja said entrepreneurs and experts from the stone industries of Turkey, China, Egypt, Palestine, Italy, Germany, Britain, South Korea and Taiwan are also likely to take part in the stone mart.

The first Stonemart exhibition was held in 2000, followed by the second in 2003.

The 2000 exhibition had completely changed the landscape of Rajasthan's stone industry with marble exports surging 35 percent in a single year. The total business generated during Stonemart 2000 was Rs.1.35 billion ($30 million).

Stonemart 2003 saw 250 exhibitors and 75,000 visitors. About 24 letters of intent (LOI) worth $19 million followed, with 12 finalised LOIs resulting in sales of $5 million.

The highest quality of infrastructure offered at these exhibitions has resulted in business tie-ups among top-notch operators from India and the world. Several unknown stones were introduced in the world market and new product lines were launched.