Iran has boosted cement production to 75Mt by March 2014 and plans to boost it to 85Mt by the end of the next Iranian calendar year, which starts on March 2014.
On the other hand, Iran's Cement Producers Association and the Industry, Mine and Trade Ministry signed an agreement earlier this year, based on which the association is in charge of making decisions about the prices. Cement prices increased by 14-21.5 percent in the current year.
Iran's Industry, Mine and Trade Ministry reported that the country produced 58.226 million tons of cement in the first ten months of the current Iranian calendar year, which began on March 21, Iranian IRNA News Agency reported.
As construction thrives, some 47.15 million tons of cement were supplied to the domestic market in the ten-month period.
Some 60.642 million tons of clinker were also produced in Iran during the mentioned period, which shows a 3.6 per cent increase compared to the same period of the previous year.
Iran's cement output amounted to 3.987 million tons in the tenth calendar month of Dey (ended on January 22). Some 5.861 million tons of clinker were also produced in the mentioned month, which is 11.6 percent more than in the same month of the previous year.
Abdolreza Sheykhan, an official at the Iran's Cement Producers Association said that Iran exported 14.425 million tons of cement and clinker in the first three quarters of the current Iranian calendar year, which started on March 21, Iran's IRIB News Agency reported.
"The figure shows a 36.2 percent increase compared to the same period of the previous year," he said.
"Cement accounted for 11.164 million tons of the mentioned amount," he added.
Some 45 million tons of cement were also consumed domestically in the mentioned period.
Iran's cement and clinker exports stood at over 13.648 million tons in the previous calendar year, which ended on March 20.
The country exported over 11.85 million tons of cement and 1.79 million tons of clinker in the mentioned period.
Iran produced 75 million tons of cement in the previous year. The country's cement production capacity stands at 80 million tons.
Iran with a total production of 65 million tons is the world's third largest cement producer in 2012.
Former Industry, Mine and Trade Minister Mehdi Ghazanfari said in August 2012 that the country's cement production capacity will reach 110 million tons by 2015.
Trend News Agency
16 October