TEHRAN - The value of Iran’s cement products exports in the first seven months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20-October 21) reached more than $163.4 million, which is an 11 percent decrease compared to the same period last year.

Iranian producers exported 7,630,428 tons of the mentioned commodities in the said seven months, registering a 24-percent decline compared to the same period last year, IRNA reported.

The total value of Iran’s exports from the mining industry stood at $3.049 billion in the first seven months of the current fiscal year, according to the data released by the Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization (IMIDRO).

Imports of the cement chain in the seven-month period of the current year were more than 24,000 tons worth $17.6 million, a decrease of 27 percent and 34 percent in terms of weight and value, respectively.

Also, the total imports in the mining and mineral industries sector in the first seven months of this year was 2,280,312 tons valued at $1.754 billion, an increase of 16 percent in terms of weight and a decrease of three percent in terms of value, compared to the first seven months of the previous year.

Iran 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).

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

India, Afghanistan, Russia, Iraq, Qatar, Kenya, Kuwait, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Armenia, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, China, and Oman are among the countries importing Iranian cement.

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.

EF/MA