Displaying items by tag: Kazakhstan Association of Cement and Concrete Producers

Kazakhstan/Uzbekistan: The head of Kazakhstan’s Cement and Concrete Producers Association (QazCem), Erbol Akimbayev, has claimed that Uzbekistan’s Cabinet of Ministers issued a confidential order in July 2025 that disrupted cement exports from Kazakhstan, ‘severely impacting’ bilateral trade.

Akimbayev alleged that the document requires Kazakh exporters to declare cement at a price 10 times higher than normal and pay taxes accordingly, making exports unprofitable, according to local press.

Akimbayev said “As a result, in August 2025, imports of Kazakh cement to Uzbekistan dropped to zero for the first time in seven years. At that price, no one in Uzbekistan will buy it. But if Uzbekistan acts this way, Kazakhstan has every right to introduce reciprocal measures.”

He added that the association is in discussions with government bodies and industry partners, warning that reciprocal measures could lead to a fall in imports from Uzbekistan. He suggested that Uzbekistan is seeking to protect its domestic producers amid market oversupply ‘by any means necessary.’

Kazakhstan: Kazakhstan’s cement production increased to 10.8Mt in 2020. Kazakhstan Newsline has reported that 2020 is the first year in which domestic cement production has exceeded 10Mt. Capacity utilisation across the nation’s 16.5Mt/yr of installed cement capacity was 66%.

HeidelbergCement’s 0.8Mt/yr Caspi Cement plant exceeded its rated capacity by 10%. Kazakhcement’s 1.0Mt/yr Shar cement plant and ACIG’s 0.5Mt/yr Khantau cement plant both produced no cement in 2020. Gezhouba-Shiyeli Cement’s Shiyeli cement plant stood idle for several months in early 2020 when management and engineering staff became stranded in China due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Kazakhstan Association of Cement and Concrete Producers executive director Erbol Akymbaev said, “The production capacities of Kazakhstani factories exceed the needs of the domestic market by 41%: domestic consumption in 2020 amounted to just over 9Mt. Access to neighbouring markets is complicated by the fact that states protect their own producers. For example, in Russia, according to GOST, additional certification of imported products is required." He added that the cement industries of the two main cement exporters to Kazakhstan – Iran and Russia – are unregulated in terms of CO₂ emissions. Kazakhstan’s commitment to a reduction in its emissions of 15% by 2030 gives it a competitiveness disadvantage.