Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 14
By Fatih Karimov - Trend: The Iranian industry minister urged all engineering companies and industrialists to diversify the consumption of cement in different sectors.
For instance, cement can be used in the form of concrete in building roads instead of using asphalt, Iranian Industry Minister Mohammad Reza Nematzadeh said, IRIB reported on Jan. 14.
Roads can be built using concrete at lower prices and with higher endurance, he noted.
"In this line, we are negotiating with the housing and urban development ministry," he added.
He made the remarks on the sidelines of the 7th International Cement and Concrete Exhibition of Iran which is underway in Tehran.
Iran exported over 7 million metric tons of cement in the first six months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21-September 22, 2014).
The country exported around 18 million metric tons of cement in the previous Iranian calendar year.
The country ranked first in the Middle East and third in the world in terms of cement exports.
The country's annual cement output is currently about 80 million metric tons, of which 50 million metric tons is used by domestic industries.
Edited by CN