TEHRAN- Iran’s export of cement and clinker has increased by 17 percent in the first five months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20- August 22) compared to the same period last year, IRNA reported quoting an industry official.

According to Abdolreza Sheykhan, the secretary of Iran's Cement Producers Association, the Islamic Republic exported 4.1 million tons of clinker in the said five months to register a 29-percent increase year on year.

Cement exports, on the other hand, stood at 1.7 million tons which was 2.3 percent less than the figure for the previous year’s same time span, Sheykhan said.

The countries of the region and especially neighbors, including Kuwait, Iraq, Afghanistan, Oman, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and Qatar, constitute the main export markets for Iranian cement and clinker, among which, the largest volume of exports has been made to Kuwait, the official noted.

During the mentioned period, domestic factories produced 31.5 million tons of clinker, which indicates a seven percent growth compared to the same period last year. Cement production, however, stood at 26.9 million tons without any particular change compared to last year, according to Sheykhan.

He stated that the amount of cement delivered to the domestic market by August 22 was about 24.38 million tons, which was also unchanged compared to last year.

The share of clinker in the country’s cement products export basket has increased in the mentioned period which resulted in a decrease in the value of the export basket for each ton.

With an annual production capacity of 87 million tons, Iran’s cement industry holds the world’s sixth place in terms of production capacity.

The country’s annual cement consumption stands at about 61 million tons and the annual exports of the commodity chain are over 11 million tons.

Neighboring countries are not only consumers of Iranian cement but also demand the transfer of the cement industry’s technology to their countries.

EF/MA