Syria: Türkiye-based Çimko, which operates under SANKO Holding, is investing approximately US$200m in an integrated cement plant in Aleppo. The project will have a clinker production capacity of 1.5Mt/yr and a cement production capacity of 2Mt/yr. The plant will be developed under a Build-Operate-Transfer model.

The plant will be established in the Al-Muslimiyah area, located in the industrial zone north of Aleppo and close to limestone deposits and major transportation corridors. The project aims to meet the region’s cement demand through local production. The project is planned to be implemented in two main phases, with the plant ultimately reaching a production capacity of 1.5Mt/yr of clinker and 2Mt/yr of cement.

A protocol between Adil Sani Konukoğlu, chair of the board of SANKO Holding and Çimko, and Mahmud Fadile, general manager of the Syrian Cement and Building Materials Production and Marketing Company (OMRAN), was officially signed at a ceremony held in Aleppo on 1 October 2026. The ceremony was attended by Syrian Minister of Economy and Industry Mohammed Nidal al-Shaar, Turkish Ambassador to Syria Dr Nuh Yılmaz, Mohammad Hazim Lutfi, Head of the Aleppo Office of the Syrian Investment Authority, and Aleppo Governor Azzam Al-Gharib.

Colombia: National statistics agency DANE reported domestic cement dispatches of 1.1Mt for August 2026, up by 3% year-on-year from August 2025. Production fell by 2% in August 2026, to 1.23Mt, after a 4.5% drop in July 2026. Despatches from January to August 2026 rose by 4.1% year-on-year to 8.69Mt, while production rose by 2% to 9.33Mt.

July had been the first month of 2026 in which both production and despatches fell. Demand for building materials recovered after a weak July, led by sales through distributors and hardware stores. Bulk deliveries to builders and contractors remain down in 2026. DANE said that it imputed part of the production data for August 2026 after late reports. September 2026 data will show whether the rebound holds.

By region, the strongest growth came from the Caribbean coast. Deliveries to Bolívar rose by 25% and by 15% to Atlántico. Bulk deliveries to builders and contractors fell by 14% between January and August 2026, DANE said. Bulk shipments to the greater Bogotá area - which includes Soacha, Funza, Chía and Mosquera - were down by 10% over the same period.

Bagged cement, however, grew by 6% in the eight months. All 2026 figures are provisional and can be revised for two years.

Honduras: The new ‘Technical Regulations’ applicable to cement sold domestically will come into effect on 6 October 2026 the Secretariat of Economic Development (SDE) has reported. The regulations establish technical, registration, certification, labelling, storage and marketing requirements for products distributed in the local market. According to the SDE, the regulation seeks to establish clear technical rules and conditions equal for producers and importers, with the aim of ensuring that companies compete under the same standards and quality requirements. Once the new rules start, cement that does not have the corresponding registration cannot be imported or marketed in Honduras, including the product in transit.

Eddy Ordóñez, the Minister of Economic Development, said “In Honduras, the market is not closed; the door is closed to cement without a guarantee.” He said that the regulation does not establish differences according to the country of origin of the product but requires that all cement marketed in the national territory comply with the established technical requirements. The Secretariat indicated that the application of the standards will allow for the regulation of marketing conditions and will give producers, importers, distributors and marketers clarity on the rules they must comply with. Consumers, in turn, will be able to access information about the type of cement, its registration and the date of manufacture.

As part of the implementation of the regulations, the SDE has granted 15 registrations corresponding to different products from three companies: Argos Honduras; Cementos del Norte (CENOSA); and Inversiones Cementeras de Centroamérica (Duracem). The registrations are valid for five years.

Pakistan: Domestic cement despatches registered an increase of 7% in September 2026, reaching 3.78Mt compared to 3.52Mt in the corresponding month of the previous year.

According to data released by the All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association, however, exports were flat at 0.83Mt. Total cement despatches during September 2026 were 4.62Mt against 4.36Mt despatched during the same month of the last year, showing an increase of 6% year-on-year.

During the first quarter of the current financial year, which began in July 2026, total cement despatches were 13.1Mt, 4% higher year-on-year than the 12.6Mt despatched during the corresponding period of last year. Domestic despatches during this period were 10.8Mt, showing an increase of 8%. Exports were 2.3Mt, down by 11%.

A spokesman of the All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association expressed ‘concerns’ over the decline in exports and the continued instability in energy prices. He was ‘optimistic’ that the geopolitical tensions will be resolved soon, enabling cement and allied industries to come out of this ‘difficult situation,’ according to The Business Recorder.