Kazakhstan: Steppe Cement recorded rising revenues in the first quarter of 2022 due to stronger cement volumes and higher prices during the period. The manufacturer posted sales revenue of US$14m in the three months to 31 March 2022, up by 29.6% year-on-year from US$10.8m in the first quarter of 2021.
Sales volumes rose by 6% to 281,968t from 266,007t, while average prices for delivered cement also climbed. Exports from Kazakhstan fell by 50% as new factories opened in Uzbekistan. Imports into Kazakhstan, predominantly from Russia, increased from 6.5% to 8% of the market.
Steppe Cement estimates that Kazakhstan's cement market demand will stay at 11 - 12Mt in 2022 but added that there was is a high degree of uncertainty due to the ‘geopolitical situation’ in the region.