Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 26
By Fatih Karimov – Trend:
The latest data released by the Iranian Ministry of Industries, Mining and Trade reveals that the performance of the products used in the construction sector still faces challenges to come out of the stagnation.
The country’s cement industry witnessed a decline in its performance as the industrial material’s output over the first seven months of the current fiscal year (started March 20) registered a fall by 4.3 percent year-on-year, to 33.169 million tons.
On a monthly basis 4.584 million tons of cement were produced in the seventh Iranian calendar month (Sept. 22-Oct. 22, 2017), 6.3 percent less compared to the preceding month.
Iran's cement sector is suffering various problems, including deep recession in construction activities and an inadequate provision of natural gas to industrial users as well as a considerable export fall due to global slump in oil prices and regional issues.
Iran produced 54.1 million tons of cement in last fiscal year (ended March 2017), 6.6 percent less year-on-year.
Cement production capacity of Iran soared from 29.5 million tons in 2001 to 83 million tons in 2017. The number of cement producing factories also increased from 30 to 72 in the same time span.
The output of Iran’s tile and ceramic industry increased by 16.3 percent during the first seven months of the current fiscal year to 199 million square meters, according to the industry ministry data.
Iran produced 28.78 million square meters of tiles and ceramics in the seventh Iranian calendar month, 8 percent less compared to the preceding month.
The country’s tiles and ceramics output amounted to 292.5 million square meters last fiscal year (ended March 20, 2017), 4.4 percent less year-on-year.
Iranian officials have earlier announced that the country’s tile and ceramic industry’s nominal production capacity stands at 700 million square meters per year.
The officials have also said that 133 manufacturing units are active in tile and ceramic production nationwide.
Iran also produced 565,600 tons of glass in the seven-month period, 26.3 percent more year-on-year, according to the Ministry of Industries, Mining and Trade of Iran.
The Iranian manufacturers produced 56,800 tons of sanitary wares in the period, 25.6 percent more year-on-year.
