Vietnam: Vietnamese cement export growth is forecast to slow in 2021. The Viet Nam News newspaper has reported on research by SSI Research that expected exports to remain stable due to high infrastructure spending in China, but that growth is unlikely due to the full recovery of Chinese domestic cement supply in 2020. SSI Research forecasts a total 2021 cement and clinker sales growth of 2% year-on-year to 104Mt from 102Mt. It predicts a 5% - 7% increase in domestic sales. The country’s installed cement production capacity is due to rise by 7% or 7Mt in early 2021.

Syria: The General Company for Cement and Building Materials in Hama central province (Hama Cement) recorded cement sales in excess of 1Mt in 2020. Clinker sales were 0.7Mt. Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) has reported that the total value of sales was US$96m. The year included the beginning of concrete paving slab production at the company’s plant.

The company said that 2021’s tasks consisted of improving the technical specifications of the product and producing new cement types, modernising equipment, developing workers’ skills and diversifying investments.

Kazakhstan: Steppe Cement increased its full-year sales by 1% year-on-year to US$73m in 2020 from US$72m in 2019. Its cement sales fell by 4% to 1.6Mt from 1.7Mt, and its exports rose by 30% to 0.2Mt. Domestic demand rose by 6% to 9.4Mt from 8.9Mt. Steppe Cement’s market share fell to 15%.

Kazakhstan’s overall cement exports rose by 25% in 2020 to 2.0Mt from 1.6Mt. Imports fell by 14% to 0.6Mt from 0.7Mt.

Algeria: Groupe des Ciments d'Algérie (GICA) subsidiaries Société des Ciments de Hamma Bouziane (SCHB) and Société des Ciments de Ain El Kebira (SCAEK) are planning to export 50,000t of cement to West Africa. The L’Expression newspaper has reported that SCHB will supply 35,000t of the cement, and SCAEK will supply the remainder. SCHB produced 0.8Mt of cement in 2020.