(Minews) - Deputy Head of Ilam Cement Plant for human sources affairs, Hassan Sabbaghian Bigdeli, said on Saturday that more than 1,100 tons of cement were exported last year.
Bigdeli told IRNA that the exported cement is the best of its kind for its high quality and there is high demand for the product especially on the Iraqi market.
He noted that major portion of his plant's cement is exported and the rest is consumed in neighboring provinces.
The official said last year, almost 1,100 tons of cement was exported.
He said close to 5,300 tons of cement are produced per day in the factory.
Iranian cement factories exported over 17.5 million tons of their products to international markets in the first eleven months of the last Iranian calendar year (March 21, 2014- February 19, 2015), the trade ministry announced.
More than 67 percent of the exported bulk was cement and the rest clinker.
The Iranian factories have the capacity to produce 80 million tons of cement and clinker per year.
Iran’s share of world cement output in 2013 was 1.87%.
China with 2.3 billion tons of cement production in 2013 ranked first, and India and the US with 230 and 77 million tons ranked 2nd and 3rd respectively.
Iran exported cement to 24 countries including Iraq, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Pakistan, Qatar, Turkey, the UAE, Georgia, Oman, India, and China in 2013.
Iran’s cement production reached 61 million tons in the first eleven months of last Iranian calendar year.
Cement manufacturers purchasing clinker usually grind it as an addition to their own clinker at their cement plants.
Iran ranks first in the Middle East and third in the world in terms of cement exports.
The country’s annual cement output is currently about 80 million tons, of which 50 million tons are used by domestic industries.
Iranian Industry, Mine and Trade Minister, Mohammadreza Nematzadeh, has said Iran’s annual cement output is forecast to reach 120 million tons by 2025.
