Displaying items by tag: Asia

Kyrgyzstan: The Ministry of Economy and Commerce has initiated a discussion on a draft cabinet resolution to classify cement as a socially significant good, enabling the government to regulate its price amid concerns over unjustified increases. The ministry said the move would stabilise the construction market, reduce housing costs and improve affordability, as price increases have hindered the construction of social and infrastructure projects. Officials said the only likely negative impact would be reduced profits for producers and intermediaries under market volatility. The draft is open for public discussion until 13 June 2025.

The Kyrgyz cabinet previously lifted a cement import ban to ease supply constraints and meet rising demand.

Türkiye: Oyak Cement will convert Mill 3 at its Darıca integrated cement plant to a slag grinding unit, according to local press reports.

The company has submitted the project to the government and the environmental impact assessment process has reportedly begun. The US$252,000 investment will add 14 jobs. The modified facility will grind 1200t/day (360,000t/yr) of slag, along with 18,000t of limestone in its other mills.

India: GoldCrest Cement will build a greenfield integrated plant with a 3.5Mt/yr clinker capacity and 4.5Mt/yr cement capacity. GoldCrest Cement appointed Humboldt Wedag India as engineering, procurement and construction contractor in March 2025 and targets completion by March 2027. It has signed a 40-year supply agreement with Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation for 150Mt of limestone from its upcoming Lakhpat Punrajpur mine in Gujarat.

Türkiye: Cementir Holding subsidiaries Çimentaş and Alfacem have entered a binding agreement to sell 100% of Kars Çimento to Arkoz Madencilik. Kars owns a 0.6Mt/yr integrated cement plant in northeastern Türkiye. The transaction is valued at €51m and is expected to complete by the end of 2025, subject to regulatory approvals. The company currently employs approximately 90 people.

Cementir Holding chair and CEO Francesco Caltagirone said “This divestment is part of our commitment to enhancing our operational efficiency and strengthening our competitive positioning by focusing on high-growth regions.”

Myanmar: Cement prices have more than doubled in Mandalay, Naypyitaw and Sagaing following the earthquake in March 2025, delaying reconstruction efforts, according to The Irrawaddy newspaper. The regime reportedly promised to subsidise cement prices for reconstruction work, but this has only happened in Naypyitaw. In Sagaing city, most building supply shops were damaged by the earthquake and remain closed, leading to long queues at businesses that are still operating.

The Indian government recently donated 4500 bags of cement for reconstruction efforts, but residents say this will mostly be used in Naypyitaw. A building sector source said “The construction industry is also suffering from labour shortages. We are not doing any building work, just demolitions. We have to buy any brand of product, including domestically produced cement. Even the big companies are rationing cement sales.”

Cement prices were reportedly increasing before the earthquake due to a decline in production. Only six of the country’s nine cement plants are now operating, producing around 340,000 bags per day. In April 2025, officials inspected over 300 building suppliers and prosecuted more than 60 for overcharging.

India: India Cements has successfully completed a de-bottlenecking initiative at its Banswara cement plant in Rajasthan, increasing its production capacity by 0.3Mt/yr. The company’s cement manufacturing capacity now stands at 14.75Mt/yr.

Armenia: The Committee on Economic Affairs of the National Assembly has approved a fourfold increase on cement import duty, in a bid to protect domestic producers from cheaper Iranian imports, according to Arminfo News. Cement production in Iran is reportedly cheaper due to state subsidies and low energy prices, and is exported in large volumes to neighbouring countries, including Armenia. The new duty intends to create equal competition in the sector. According to the State Revenue Committee, cement imports to Armenia rose by 72% year-on-year to 436,000t in 2024.

Myanmar: An Indian Navy vessel, the UMS Myitkyina, arrived at Thilawa (MITT) port on 23 May 2025, carrying 225t of cement donated by the Indian government to support reconstruction efforts after the March 2025 earthquake, according to the Global Light of Myanmar newspaper. A handover ceremony for the 4500 50kg bags of cement took place later that afternoon. The Yangon Region government supervised the transfer of the cement onto cargo trucks for distribution to affected areas.

India: Adani Group has reported record earnings for the 2025 financial year (FY2025), which ended on 31 March 2025. It finished the 12 month period with consolidated earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of US$10.5bn across all of its operations. This represented a 8% rise year-on-year, and was mainly driven by continued expansion in the conglomerate’s infrastructure sectors.

Cement sales from its subsidiaries Ambuja Cement and ACC rose to more than 100Mt following expansions at several plants. It has plans to invest US$100bn across all of the sectors it is involved in, including ports, mining, cement, steel, power and more, by 2031.

“India’s consumption engine remains strong,” said Karan Adani, CEO of Adani Ports & SEZ and chair of ACC. “As manufacturing grows, trade volumes will surge.”

Philippines: The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has announced that Taiheiyo Cement’s US$67m Luzon Distribution Terminal, which will supply up to 0.7Mt/yr of cement to Luzon, will begin operations in early 2026. The plant will use a high proportion of supplementary cementitious materials (SCM), including fly ash, slags and natural pozzolans.

Taiheiyo Cement has said that the terminal represents the Japan-based company’s long-term commitment to the Philippine cement market and that it is aware of recent DTI rules that aim to safeguard domestic cement producers.