Minister of Industries and Mines Es’haq Jahangiri said that Iran’s cement production capacity will rise to more than 70Mt by 2010 which is the final year of the fourth five-year economic development plan (2005-10).

Jahangiri said at a ceremony to launch the implementation of a cement project in this southeastern Iranian provincial city, that Iran’s current cement production capacity stands at 32Mt.

Iran’s common borders with Afghanistan and Iraq provides a suitable chance for setting up cement markets in the two neighboring states, he said. The minister said the two countries depend on Iran for their cement needs.