Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 18
By Rahim Zamanov - Trend:
Iran's cement output in the first seven months of the calendar current year which started March 21, surpassed 44.56 million tons, Abdolreza Sheykhan, an official with the Iran's Cement Producers Association said on Monday.
"The figure shows two per cent increase compared to the same period last year," the IRNA News Agency quoted Sheykhan as saying.
"Some 43.401 million tons of clinker was also produced in the mentioned period which is four per cent more than the previous year," he said.
Sheykhan went on to note that Iran's cement production in the seventh calendar month (September 23 - October 22) stood at 6.191 million tons.
The IRNA News Agency reported on June 23 that the country currently exports cement to 24 countries including Iraq, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Pakistan, Qatar, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Georgia, Oman, India, and China.
Seven countries out of the 24 accounted for 97 per cent of Iran's total cement exports.
Iraq with 63 percent, Azerbaijan with four per cent and Turkmenistan with seven per cent were the main importers of Iranian cement.
Iran's cement and clinker exports stood at over 13.648 million tons in the previous calendar year which ended March 20.
The country exported over 11.85 million tons of cement and 1.79 million tons of clinker in the same period.
Iran produced 75 million tons of cement in previous year. The country's cement production capacity stands at 80 million tons.
Iran with a total production of 65 million tons is ranked as the world's third
largest cement producer in 2012.
Industry, Mine and Trade Minister Mehdi Ghazanfari said in August 2012 that the country's cement production capacity would reach 110 million tons by 2015.
The country plans to export over 18.5 million tons of cement in the current Iranian calendar year, Fatemian said.