Iran: exporters look to Africa for new markets

Iranian cement producers are looking further afield as the impact of Iraq’s ban on imports shuts them out of their main export market, the Financial Tribune reports. The lifting of sanctions on Iran earlier this year has expanded the list of potential destinations for cement exports.

In May, the Iraqi parliament approved legislation banning cement imports in a move designed to protect domestic producers. Iran has hitherto been a major supply to its neighbour: 48 per cent of Iranian exports – in volume terms anywhere between 7-9Mt – are to Iraq.

Now, Abdolreza Sheikhan, the head of Iran Cement Employers Association, has called on the government to subsidise the cost of transportation to Africa. Iranian exporters are believed to be seeking opportunities in countries such as Ethiopia and Kenya – two African markets where demand has risen strongly in recent years.