Displaying items by tag: Iran

Iran: The Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture has urged cement producers increase their exports to Russia to take advantage of rising demand. Russian cement consumption is expected to reach 140Mt as it builds infrastructure for projects like the FIFA 2018 World Cup, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency. Iran exported 11.5Mt of cement in the 11 month period to 18 February 2017. Exports are hoped to nearly triple to 32Mt/yr by 2025 following targets set by the government’s Vision Plan.

Oman: Iran’s Hormozgan Cement has entered into a shareholder’s agreement with Al Anwar Holdings to build a 1Mt/yr cement grinding plant in the Duqm special economic zone. The project is expected to have an investment of US$27m and commissioning of the project is subject to receiving approvals from relevant regulatory authorities and required funding from banking institutions in Oman.

Iran: President Hassan Rouhani has opened the 1Mt/yr Bagheran cement plant near Birjand in South Khorasan. The plant cost US$160m to build and its output will be supplied domestically as well as to Afghanistan and Pakistan, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency. The unit is expected to create around 350 direct jobs.

Pakistan: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has found that Zeal Pak Cement dodged paying US$19.7m to the authorities via tax evasion and money laundering schemes. As well as underpaying tax on imports of cement the cement producer also sent money to Iran, according to the National Herald Tribune newspaper. The FBR was alerted to the malpractice mid-way through importing a 86,500t consignment of Ordinary Portland Cement that was subsequently impounded. Zeal Pak Cement is also accused of fabricating false invoices and other documents.

Iran: Data from the Ministry of Industries, Mining and Trade of Iran reports that the country’s cement production fell by 1.4% year-on-year to 42.7Mt in the first nine months of the Iranian calendar year that started on 31 March 2016. Cement production has fluctuated in recent years due to weak domestic demand, according to the Trend News Agency. Other issues the cement industry has experienced have included a recession in the local construction industry, low supplies of natural gas, low international oil prices and declining exports.

Iran: The Ministry of Roads & Urban Development Iran has agreed to purchase 2Mt of cement from local producers. Iran's Bank Maskan, also known as the Housing Bank, will finance the road building plan and the cement producers will receive the money in cash, according to Abdolreza Sheikhan, secretary of Iran's Cement Industry Employers Association. He added, in comments to the Tasnim news agency, that he hoped the money will ease stagnation in the Iranian cement industry. Sheikhan also commented on plans to export cement to Syria and talks to remove a ban of imports of Iranian cement in Iraq.

Pakistan: The All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association expects local cement sales to grow by 26 – 28Mt by 2020. It made the forecast as part of a six- month review of the industry. Chairman Sayeed Saigol said that local sales grew by 8.6% year-on-year to 19.8Mt in the first half of the country’s financial year to 30 June 2017 from 18.2Mt in the same period in the previous period. Based on current growth trends he added that the industry would need to increase its production capacity. To this end it is increasing capacity to 72.3Mt/yr from the current capacity of 46Mt/yr.

Despite the anticipated growth in cement sales Saigol defended import duties to the countries on the grounds that the government benefits from taxation of the local industry. He has also urged the government to support the industry by placing an anti-dumping duty on Iranian cement. Exports of cement fell by 3.5% year-on-year to 2.91Mt from 3.02Mt with a particular fall in exports to Afghanistan.

Iran: Gebr Pfeiffer has released information about a MVR 4250 R-4 raw mill that will be installed at Biarjaimand Cement Company. The raw mill, with an installed drive power of 3000kW, is designed to grind 280t/hr of cement raw material to a product fineness of ≤ 12 % R 90µm. The contract was awarded in September 2016 and the order was placed through the Chinese general contractor Beijing Kaysun Trading, a subsidiary of CATIC based in Beijing. Gebr Pfeiffer staff will also supervise erection and commissioning. The delivery of the equipment is scheduled to start in the second half of 2017.

Iran: Shahryar Geravandi, the manager of Saman Cement at Kermanshah in western Iran, has warned that Iraq's high import tariffs on cement has put the Iranian cement industry in crisis. Geravandi said that Iranian cement plants now face overcapacity, according to the Tasnim News Agency. He added that finding new markets for the surplus cement would be hampered by high transport costs.

Pakistan: The All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association (APCMA) has warned that an increase in Federal Excise Duty on cement may increase the levels of illegal imports of Iranian cement. The increase in the tax was announced in the 2016 – 2017 federal budget. Instead, the association wants the government to reduce taxes on cement to promote local dispatches, according to local media.

According to the latest data, issued by the APCMA, the cement industry dispatched 35.5Mt of cement between July 2015 and May 2016, an increase of 106% year-on-year from the previous period. However, exports to countries other than India, fell during this period.