TEHRAN- Iran has exported over 5.847 million tons of cement worth $127.99 million during the first five months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20-August 21), according to the data released by the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA).

India, Afghanistan, Russia, Iraq, Qatar, Kenya, Kuwait, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Armenia, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, China, and Oman were among the countries importing Iranian cement during the mentioned five-month period.

Iraq, Kuwait, and Afghanistan were the top importers of cement from Iran in the said time span.

Iran’s annual cement production stands at 85 million tons, and the domestic need for the product is 65 million tons.

The country is among the seven large producers of cement in the world.

Iran has exported about $7 billion worth of construction materials in the previous Iranian calendar year (ended on March 19).

As recently announced by the acting minister of industry, mining, and trade, the production of major items in the construction industry is more than double the country's demand for such commodities.

“In this area [the construction industry], not only we do not have any worries about the supply of raw materials; but in important items of this industry such as steel, cement, and ceramic tiles, our production is almost double the country’s needs,” Jafar Sarqeini has noted.

“Today, our country is one of the major exporters of steel in the region and a major exporter of cement in the world,” the official noted, adding that Iran has increased its supply of glass, tile and ceramics to foreign customers in recent years.  

Iran’s massive mining and metals sector has expanded in recent years mainly because the U.S sanctions on the oil industry have led to more focus on other sectors.

The government has also raised tariffs on exports of raw minerals as it seeks increased local production of products with more added-value.

That comes despite a decision by Washington in May 2019 to introduce a series of comprehensive bans on Iran’s trade of metals.

However, the bans have largely failed to disrupt the outflow of Iranian products like steel and copper as customers find them increasingly competitive compared to regional and international rivals.

MA/MA