Jamaica: Five additional companies have been granted approval to import cement into country as the government seeks to close a supply gap and alleviate shortages that have affected construction activity. Speaking on 18 June 2026 during a press briefing, Senator Aubyn Hill, minister of industry, investment and commerce, said the import  approvals have been granted for six months.

Jamaica Logistics International Limited was given approval to import 0.1Mt. Rock Hard Cement will import 0.1Mt. Tank-Weld Metals was given the go-ahead for 60,000t. Island Concrete will be allowed to import 60,000t and Gore Developments has been given approval to import 20,000t. Hill also noted that The Buying House Co, which has been operating as an authorised cement importer in Jamaica since 2006, was given an expanded quota of 0.15Mt.

Declaring that the "demand supply equilibrium is coming back to normal," Hill said that approved companies are currently setting up arrangements to make their imports. "We know that the supply is here to meet that demand," he said.

The current cement shortage in Jamaica was triggered by heavy rainfall and raw material issues that impacted production at Caribbean Cement’s Rockfort plant. It was further compounded by high demand for infrastructure projects in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, which affected the island in October 2025.

Armenia: The government is planning a further temporary restriction on cement imports. This follows previous measures that have helped to somewhat ease competitive conditions in the domestic market for cement produced in Armenia. However, in 2025, cement production in the country amounted to just 0.94Mt, a decrease of 10.4% compared to 2024. According to the Statistical Committee, cement imports came to 0.75Mt of cement for the same year, a 29.2% increase compared to 2024.

Switzerland/Germany: Cement producer Holcim has announced that it has completed it €1.85bn acquisition of German building materials maker Xella, expanding its building solutions portfolio. Based in Duisburg, Xella is present in 22 European markets and is expected to generate net sales of €1bn in 2026. The transaction should result in synergies of €60m realised in the third year.

Via the deal, Holcim now obtains brands for both the new-build and the energy-efficient repair and refurbishment market. These include prefabricated Ytong and Hebel autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) modular systems, Silka calcium silicate elements, and Multipor mineral insulation.

Iran: Shahroud Cement has obtained an operating licence for a 4.8MW segment of its 10MW solar plant from the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Organisation. The company said that, when the entire plant is commissioned, 4.5MW is to be delivered to the national grid, with 2.5MW connected to the grid since 16 June 2026. A further 3MW is connected to the plant.

Shahroud Cement said it planned to build an additional 3MW solar unit alongside the 10MW plant to help cover potential shortfalls in grid delivery, and would report further once that is implemented and operational.