Kazakhstan cement price rises 6%

In October Kazakhstan the average price of a 50kg bag of M400 cement reached KZT1252 (US$3.79), a 0.3 per cent MoM rise and an increase of 5.7 per cent when compared with the year-ago period. By comparison, the annual inflation rate in the country was 7.7 per cent.

The highest prices for cement in Kazakh key cities were reported in Uralsk (KZT1609/bag, +12.5 per cent YoY) and Atyrau (KZT1525/bag, +14.2 per cent YoY), while the lowest cement prices were paid in Almaty (KZT1020/bag, -13% per cent YoY) and Taraz (KZT1081/bag, +1.4%per cent YoY).

The strongest rise in prices was recorded in Semipalatinsk, where a 31.3 YoY hike was reported, up to KZT1469 per bag of cement.

Cement production in the country advanced by 7.5 per cent to 8.4Mt in the first 10 months of the year. Some 2.5Mt or around 30 per cent of this total was produced in the south, reflecting a 13.6 per cent rise in output when compared with the equivalent period in 2016. A further 26.1 per cent or 2.2Mt was supplied by cement producers in the east, who increased their output by 15.8 per cent YoY.
Kazakhstan is largely self-sufficient in cement with 3Q imports accounting for only 8.6 per cent of demand.