Iranian cement output continues to climb

Iran has reported a four per cent rise in cement output in the first half of the current Iranian calendar compared to the same period of last year.

The country has produced 38.3Mt of cement since 21 March 2013, IRNA news reported yesterday. During the sixth calendar month of Shahrivar (23 August - 22 September) total output reached 6.4Mt.

Full year projections put total output for the current year at 80Mt, according to Abdolreza Sheikhan, Secretary of the State Cement Industry Employers Guild Association.

In the first five months of the year, exports totalled 8.064Mt, up 43.5 per cent YoY. These volumes comprised 6.52Mt and 1.53Mt of cement and clinker, respectively.  Export markets over the past year include Iraq, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Pakistan, Qatar,  Georgia and Oman.

Iran plans to increase its cement output up to 85Mt by the end of the next Iranian calendar year.