Displaying items by tag: Export

Azerbaijan: Akkord Cement’s Gazakh cement plant plans to export its fifth batch of clinker to Georgia. Further export operations are also planned in December 2019, according to the Trend News Agency. The integrated plant exported over 500t of clinker to Georgia during the first 11 months of 2019 and it plans to export up to 700t in 2020. The unit is aiming for a production volume of 1.2Mt in 2019 and then 1.5Mt in 2020. Turkey’s Dal Teknik Makina started work on an upgrade project at the plant in mid-2019.

Algeria: Algeria’s estimated value of exported cement in 2019 is US$60m, up by 200% from US$20m in 2018. Algerian Trade Minister Saïd Djellab noted increases to grinding capacity in Guinea Bissau, Senegal, Gabon and Mali as a potential source of revenue from clinker exports, according to L’Expression. “Algeria can meet the needs of these markets and become their leading supplier of clinker in 2020.” The minister estimated that the total value of cement and clinker exports ‘will reach US$400m by 2021.’

Pakistan: Cement producers in Pakistan have increased volumes in the five months to 30 November 2019 by 5.8% year-on-year to 20.5Mt from 19.9Mt. This represents 82% utilisation of its 55.9Mt/yr capacity. Exports over the period were 3.61Mt, up by 22% year-on-year from 2.97Mt in the same period of 2018. The All Pakistan Cement Manufacturer Association (APCMA) released a statement lobbying the government to intervene in replacing bricks, the production of which it says causes smog in central Punjab, with concrete blocks. “Government should start work on announced housing projects that would have a positive impact on uptake of cement,” it said.

Belarus: Cement producers plan to switch imports from Ukraine to the European Union (EU). Architecture and Construction Minister Dmitry Mikulenok said that the decision was made due to tariffs in Ukraine, according to the Belarusian Telegraph Agency (BELTA). He said that the industry had moved away from exporting to Russia and that exports from Ukraine stopped in July 2019. He added that exports grew through the Belarusian Universal Commodity Exchange (BUCE) in 2018.

Prime minister Sergei Rumas also noted that the government was watching local cement companies to make sure they were meeting their state support provision terms. He cited falling exports, low production capacity utilisation and market inefficiencies as issues facing the sector. The government has proposed restructuring the debts held by cement companies.

Russia: Eurocement’s Maltsovsky integrated plant in Bryansk Region has gained European certification for its CEMI 52.5N, CEMI 42.5R and CEMII / A-S 42.5N products. Local testing and independent certification confirmed the new designation. Following an earlier certification for CEMI 42.5N the plant now hopes to grow its exports to the European Union.

Saudi Arabia: The Saudi Industrial Exports Company (SIEC) has signed a one-year sales and marketing contract extension with Al Jouf Cement. It previously agreed with Al Jouf in November 2017 to sell 72,000t/yr to Jordan.

Algeria: Trade Minister Said Djellab has revealed that the country’s cement exports are expected to reach a value of US$400m by 2021. Export earnings were around US$20m in 2018 and then tripled to US$60m in 2019, according to the El Mujahid newspaper. The minister made the comments at a ceremony marking an export of cement from a Ciment Lafarge Souakri (CILAS) plant. He added that the local market has a cement production capacity of 40Mt/yr and that only 22Mt/yr is required domestically. Producers are targeting countries in west Africa, including Guinea Bissau, Senegal, Gabon and Mali.

Azerbaijan: Azerbaijan’s three cement works of an integrated capacity of 5Mt/yr produced 2.5Mt of cement in the nine months to 30 September 2019, down by 1.2% compared to 2.6Mt over the same term in 2018. Overall sales were low in the period, but exports picked up in the quarter to 30 September 2019, stimulating production levels of 0.9Mt, representing no change year-on-year.

Brazil: Paulo Camillo Penna, the president of SNIC, the Brazilian national cement industry union, has expressed caution about growing cement sales so far in 2019. Data from SNIC shows that cement sales grew by 3% year-on-year to 40.5Mt in the first nine months of 2019 from 39.4Mt in the same period in 2018. Growth was driven by central and southern regions of the country, particularly in São Paulo. Exports grew by 22% to 90,000t from 74,000t. However, Paulo Camillo said that apparent growth in 2019 was partly due to a truckers strike in May 2018 that overly depressed the year’s sales. Despite this, he added that a survey of the construction industry released by the National Confederation of Industry (CNI) was showing slow but steady improvement.

Argentina: Data from the Association of Portland Cement Manufacturers (AFCP) shows that cement consumption fell by 6% year-on-year to 8.5Mt in the first nine months of 2019 from 9Mt in the same period in 2018. Local despatches dropped by 5% to 8.5Mt to 8.9Mt, although exports rose slightly.