IRAN: CEMENT EXPORTS INCREASE 37 %

Iran exported 11.268 million tons of cement in the first seven months of the calendar current year which started March 21 and surpassed 44.56 million tons, the Industry, Mine, and Trade ministry reported on November 20.

The figure shows a 37 per cent increase compared to the same period of the previous year, the IRNA News Agency reported.

Abdolreza Sheykhan, an official with the Iran’s Cement Producers Association, said earlier this month that the sum of 1.11 million tons of cement and 437,382 tons of clinker were exported in the seventh calendar month (September 23 – October 22), which is over 150 per cent more than the same month of the previous year.

“Iran’s cement output in the first seven months of the calendar current year (started March 21) surpassed 44.56 million tons,” he said.

“The figure shows a two per cent increase compared to the same period of the previous year,” the IRNA News Agency quoted Sheykhan as saying.

“Some 43.401 million tons of clinker was also produced in the same period which is four per cent more than the previous year,” he said.

Sheykhan went on to note that Iran’s cement production in the seventh calendar month (September 23 – October 22) stood at 6.191 million tons.

The IRNA News Agency reported on June 23 that Iran currently exports cement to 24 countries including Iraq, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Pakistan, Qatar, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Georgia, Oman, India and China.

Seven countries out of the 24 accounted for 97 per cent of Iran’s total cement exports.

Iraq with 63 per cent, Azerbaijan with four per cent and Turkmenistan with seven per cent was the main importers of Iranian cement.

Iran’s cement and clinker exports stood at over 13.648 million tons in the previous calendar year which ended March 20.

The country exported over 11.85 million tons of cement and 1.79 million tons of clinker in that period.

Iran produced 75 million tons of cement in the previous year. The country’s cement production capacity stands at 80 million tons.

Iran with a total production of 65 million tons ranked as the world’s third
largest cement producer in 2012.

Industry, Mine and Trade Minister Mehdi Ghazanfari said in August 2012 that the country’s cement production capacity will reach 110 million tons by 2015.

The country plans to export over 18.5 million tons of cement in the current Iranian calendar year, Fatemian said.