September 2015 Issue Business View Caribbean

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 : www.nqcl.co.tt