Iran's current cement production capacity is about 74 million tpa, and there are plans to increase output to 110 million tpa by 2015. Cement production in the first four months of the Iranian calendar year hit 23.411 million t, corresponding to a 19% growth in production compared to the same period of the previous year. Exports have also increased, to the point that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad recently announced that the country has become one of the world’s main exporters.
At the inauguration ceremony marking the second phase of a plant in Orumieh, Ahmadinejad made the announcement, and added: "By launching the second phase of Orumieh cement factory, Iran's cement production capacity increased by one million tons." This inauguration follows the launch of two new plants in July: the 1 million tpa Khoy plant and the 3400 tpd Galikesh plant.