Business View Caribbean
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Business View Caribbean - September 2015 51
quarries was to ensure that there was some agency
that could guard against inflationary pressures. And
one of our foremost mandates is to ensure that the
price and cost of aggregates in the market is an afford-
able price for the average citizen.”
Aggregates are inert granular materials such as sand,
gravel, or crushed stone that, along with water and
Portland cement, are an essential ingredient in con-
crete; concrete blocks are an essential ingredient for
construction. Gravels constitute the majority of coarse
aggregate used in concrete with crushed stone mak-
ing up most of the remainder. Natural gravel and sand
are usually dug or dredged from a pit, river, lake, or
seabed. Crushed aggregate is produced by crushing
quarry rock, boulders, cobbles, or large-size gravel.
Today, in Trinidad, there are about 100 registered
quarries, about 90 percent of which are currently in
operation. National Quarries is the only state-owned
aggregate quarry; the rest are privately owned on ei-
ther private or state lands. National Quarries has two
operations: a 2,040-acre sand and gravel quarry at
AT A GLANCE
WHO:
National Quarries Company Limited
WHAT:
A state-owned mining company that is
the nation’s leading producer of aggregate for the
construction industry
WHERE:
Head Office in Arouca, Republic of
Trinidad & Tobago
WEBSITE
:
