TEHRAN - Iran has reported a major increase in exports of cement clinker in the five months to late August although figures show that overseas shipments of finished cement dropped slightly over the same period.
Secretary of Iran’s syndicate of cement producers Abdorreza Sheikhan said that clinker exports from the country had reached a total of 4.1 million metric tons (mt) over the five months to August 22, up 29% against the same period last year.
That comes as Iran’s total cement clinker output had risen by 7% year on year over the April-August period to reach 31.5 million mt, said Sheikhan.
He said that finished cement exports from Iran had dropped by 2.3% over the five months to late August to stand at 1.7 million mt, adding that domestic demand for cement had remained flat compared with the same period last year at 26.09 million mt.
Sheikhan said Kuwait was the top buyer of Iran’s cement and clinker shipments over the April-August period, followed by Iraq, Afghanistan, Oman, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Qatar.
Iran had reported declines in production and exports of cement and clinker last summer mainly because of gas shortages that caused shutdowns across the industry.
Iran has boasted of its ability to provide a stable supply of natural gas to manufacturers in the country this summer despite facing a heavy demand for gas from power plants, households and businesses.
A Tuesday statement from Iran’s Energy Ministry said that the average daily gas supply to industries had increased by 13% over the five months to late August to reach 145 million cubic meters.