Iran exported over 5.07 million t of cement and clinker in the first quarter of the current Iranian calendar year. According to local reports, exports of approximately 1.203 million t of cement and 398 798 t of clinker were recorded in the third Iranian calendar month of Khordad (22 May – 21 June 2014). The country exported some 18 million t of cement in the previous Iranian calendar year (ended 20 March 2014).
In terms of cement exports, Iran is ranked first in the Middle East and third in the world. Over the past year, the country has exported cement to 24 countries, including Iraq, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Pakistan, Qatar, Turkey, the UAE, Georgia, Oman, India and China.
According to local reports, the Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organisation will complete construction of the 1 million tpa Cerro Azul plant in Venezuela in the next few months.
Iran exported some 3.4 million t of cement during the first two months of the current financial year, a 20% y/y increase compared to the same period in 2013.
Iran, the world’s fourth largest cement producer, could overtake US production if the country’s 75 million tpa nominal capacity becomes actual capacity.