Yemen: The Customs Authority controlled by the Houthi movement in Sana’a has announced a 50% increase in tariffs on locally produced cement, citing support for the Yemeni Cement Corporation as justification, according to local press. The decision was reportedly issued without prior consultation with cement producers, distributors or other stakeholders, and without a clear legal or economic basis, and has ‘disrupted’ the construction sector.

In a formal memorandum, cement producers and distributors rejected the tariff increase, warning of ‘serious repercussions’ for building material prices. The statement argued that supporting national institutions ‘should not come at the expense of citizens or a vital sector that directly affects people’s lives.' It added that fiscal and customs decisions should be grounded in transparent legal frameworks, serve the public interest and be introduced responsibly rather than imposed abruptly in ways that harm the economy.

The situation has been compounded by the continued detention of cement trucks at a newly established customs checkpoint in Dhamar for more than a week [as of 25 January 2026]. Since 15 January 2026, concrete companies have shut down and construction work has halted across most projects due to cement shortages.

Saudi Arabia: Al‑Jouf Cement announced that it received a notification from Saudi Aramco regarding adjustments to fuel prices used in its production operations. The company said that higher prices for heavy fuel oil are expected to increase production costs by around 11%. In addition, increased diesel prices used in transportation and logistics are estimated to add a further 3%, bringing the total projected rise in production costs to approximately 14%.

Al-Jouf Cement said it is currently evaluating the overall financial impact of these increases on its results, while also reviewing operational and technical measures to mitigate their effect.

Iraq: Dana Gas has secured long-term gas supply agreements to fuel cement plants in the Kurdistan region from 2027, under deals signed by the Pearl Petroleum Consortium with major industrial producers. The agreements were concluded with five cement manufacturers in the Bazian industrial area: Mass Cement, Bazian Cement, Delta Cement, Gasin Cement and Sulaimani Cement, as well as Van Steel in Erbil.

Gas will be supplied from the Chemchemal field, with deliveries scheduled to begin in the second half of 2027, when production from the field is expected to start. Under the 10-year agreements, industrial customers will collectively purchase up to 4Mm³/day of gas.

To support the project, new private-sector pipelines will be constructed to transport gas from Chemchemal to industrial users. Plans include a dedicated 40km pipeline linking the field directly to the Bazian industrial corridor. The switch to natural gas is intended to replace heavier and more expensive fuel oils currently used by manufacturers, while improving operational efficiency and reducing emissions.

India: A report from NITI Aayogl, India’s primary public policy think tank, has warned that, if current trends continue, CO₂ emissions from India’s cement sector could rise more than five-fold to 1.32Bnt/yr by 2070. India is already the world’s second-largest cement producer, accounting for 13% of global output, but, with ‘rapid’ expansion in infrastructure projects, cement production is expected to grow nearly seven-fold from 391Mt in 2023 to 2.7Bnt/yr in 2070.

The report states that, while Indian cement plants are among the most energy-efficient in the world, efficiency gains have largely plateaued. As demand rises, emissions are expected to grow in parallel to capacity, threatening India’s climate commitments even though per-capita cement consumption remains well below the global average.

A NITI Aayog working group evaluated 22 possible measures and identified three high-impact interventions that need urgent policy and regulatory backing. The first recommendation is to scale up the use of refuse-derived fuel (RDF) made from municipal solid waste (MSW). India generates around 62Mt/yr of MSW, a figure that expected to rise sharply in the future. The report estimates that achieving a 20% thermal substitution rate (TSR) by 2030 could cut cumulative CO₂ emissions by about 80Mt over the five year period.

The second recommendation focuses on reducing clinker factor from 67.5% to 62%. Although both of these values are below the global average, the roadmap calls for greater use of materials such as calcined clay, slag and bio-ash that could reduce sectoral emissions by 7-15% by 2070, while also lowering operating costs.

The third, and most costly, recommendation is to begin a carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) pilot programme. This would be used to identify the most scalable technologies and to estimate the real cost of capture and level of support needed, before scaling them further. Once operational, such projects could reduce emissions by 35-54%.