Displaying items by tag: exports

Kazakhstan: Steppe Cement sold US$83.4m-worth of cement in 2021, up by 16% year-on-year from its US$71.7m-worth in 2020. Its sales volumes totalled 1.69Mt for the year, up by 2.4% from 1.65Mt in 2020. It exported 202,000t of cement, down by 57% from 86,500t. The company said that production limitations prevented it from fully meeting demand, and it concentrated on local markets. Regarding its outlook in 2022, Steppe Cement said “We have a healthy cash balance and are continuing our capital expenditure (CAPEX) programme to increase the production capacity of the company by 5% by mid-2022.”

Dow Jones Newswires has reported that Kazakhstan’s 2021 full-year cement consumption was 11.6Mt, up by 23% year-on-year from 9.4Mt in 2020. A rule change to pension withdrawals permitting allocations for home improvement and construction bolstered demand growth. Exports fell by 20% to 1.6Mt from 2Mt, while imports rose by 33% to 800,000t from 600,000t.

Vietnam: Vietcombank Securities Company (VCBS) has forecast a 16% year-on-year rise in Vietnam’s cement and clinker exports to 44.5Mt from 38.4Mt. 22.3Mt (50%) of the 2021 exports will be to China. Viet Nam News has reported that VCBS forecast a drop in Vietnam’s cement and clinker exports to China in 2022 due to a Chinese property market slowdown. From 2023, the Vietnam government plans to raise its clinker export tariff to 10% from 5%.

Japan: Sumitomo Osaka Cement recorded consolidated first-half sales of US$790m in its 2022 financial year, down by 20% from US$993m in the first half of the 2021 financial year. Its cement sales were US$544m, down by 31% from US$784m. It exported 778Mt of cement, up by 33% from 594Mt in the first half of the 2021 financial year. Its domestic sales volume was 4.1Mt, up by 1.2% from 4.05Mt.

The group forecast full-year consolidated sales of US$1.65bn, down by 22% year-on-year from US$2.12bn.

Vietnam: Vietnam exported 43Mt of cement and clinker in the first 11 months of 2021, up by 24% year-on-year from 11-month export volumes in 2020. Viet Nam News has reported that the value of Vietnam’s cement and clinker exports rose by 28% to US$1.67bn. The country’s full-year cement and clinker exports in 2020 were 38.4Mt, with a total value of US$1.44bn.

Spain: Spain’s 10-month cement consumption was 12.5Mt in 2021, up by 12% year-on-year from 10-month 2020 levels. Interempresas News has reported that consumption grew by 10% year-on-year in October 2021 to 1.3Mt from 1.18Mt. During the month, exports fell by 14% year-on-year to 581,000t from 485,000t.

Iran: Cement companies produced 32.4Mt of cement in the first half of the 2022 financial year, down by 9.2% year-on-year from 35.8Mt in the first half of the 2021 financial year. 62 companies supply cement in the Iranian market. In the 2021 financial year, Iran produced 68.3Mt, exported 11Mt and consumed 65Mt, including imports.

Pakistan: The All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association (APCMA) recorded a 5.7% year-on-year decline in overall cement sales in the first quarter of the 2022 financial year to 12.8Mt from 13.6Mt in the corresponding period of the 2021 financial year. Intensified local construction activity increased domestic cement sales by 4% to 11.3Mt/yr from 10.9Mt/yr.

Costs increased – notably the price of coal, which more than tripled year-on-year to US$210/t from US$68/t. Its transport costs from South Africa more than doubled to US$30/t from US$11/t. Currency effects exacerbated the rise in costs. The Dawn newspaper has reported that exports fell by 44% in the period to 1.55Mt from 2.74Mt. Afghanistan had previously received 606,000t of Pakistani cement exports, 22% of the total. This figure fell by 36% year-on-year to 389,000t, 25% of the first-quarter 2021 total, due to political unrest and increased transport costs.

Vietnam: Vietnam National Cement Association (VNCA) members sold 77.5Mt of cement in the first nine months of 2021, up by 3.5% year-on-year. Vietnamese cement exports rose by 19% over the same period, to 31.9Mt. This corresponds to 41% of total sales. State-owned Vietnam Cement Industry Corporation (VICEM) exported 14.5Mt of cement, 45% of national cement exports. Viet Nam News has reported that the country ended the nine-month period with 3.6Mt of cement and clinker in inventory.

Bolivia: Fábrica Nacional de Cemento (FANCESA) has received an order for 8000t of clinker from Chile. The Correo del Sur newspaper has reported that the company previously delivered 1000t of clinker to Chile-based Cbb’s grinding operations in the country. The producer says that it is in the process of securing a supply contract for 80,000t/yr of clinker with its Chilean customer.

Algeria: Saoura Ciment has begun sulphate-resistant cement production at its Saoura cement plant near Béchar. The Groupe des Ciments d'Algérie (GICA) subsidiary made the move as part of efforts to diversify its production. It plans to supply the product to public works projects in the region, where its resistance to high soil salinity will prove useful. The cement will be available from all four of the plant’s commercial outlets in and around Bechér.

In August 2021, Saoura Ciment produced 180,000t of cement. It exported 25,000t to Mali, Mauritania and Niger during the month.