Azerbaijan, Baku, Aug.13/ Trend F.Karimov/
The cement industry in Iran owes €700 million to the government, the Fars News Agency quoted secretary of the association of cement producers Abdolreza Sheikhan as saying.
At a time when the U.S. dollar was priced at 8,500 rials, industrialists received loans from the National Development Fund. But, the Central Bank ordered them to repay the loans at the Forex Center rate, he added.
The Forex Center rate is currently about 24,800 rials.
Iran produced 75 million tons of cement in the previous Iranian calendar year, which ended on March 20. The country's cement production capacity stands at 80 million tons.
Iran with a total production of 65 million tons ranked as the world's third largest cement producer in 2012.
Iran's Forex Center was officially inaugurated on September 24, 2012.
The rial is currently trading for about 32,000 to the dollar in the open market.
On July 6, the central bank of Iran on its website listed the price of a dollar at 24,779 rials. That rate replaced the previous official "reference" rate of 12,260 rials to the dollar.