The greenfield Yovon cement plant that came into operation in late September has produced some 230,000t of cement in its first two months of operation, according to the Ministry of Industry and New Technologies (MoINT).

Tajikistan-China joint venture, Huaxin Gayur Cement Co Ltd, operates the Yovon cement plant with a staff of 534, with 80 per cent of them being local Tajikistan workers. The 1Mta Yovon cement plant is driven by coal and produces two types of cement – M-400 and M-500.

The arrival of the plant has led to a fall in domestic cement prices with bags falling buy 0.20 somoni to 0.80 somoni. Tajikistan’s annual requirements in cement have sharply increased in connection with construction of the Roghun hydroelectric power plant (HPP), highways and other facilities of the nationwide significance.

Huaxin Gayur Cement Co Ltd was established by Huaxin Zhongya Investment (Wuhan) Co Ltd, the subsidiary of Huaxin Cement Co Ltd and Gayur LLC. Huaxin Zhongya Investment (Wuhan) Investment Co Ltd assumes the 75 per cent ownership interest and Gayur LLC owns 25 per cent of the shares in Huaxin Gayur Cement Co Ltd.