Cement plants in Fars province exported 285,700t of the construction material worth US$11.7m in the five months of the current Iranian year (started 20 March), registering a 134 per cent and 86 per cent growth in export volume and value, respectively, compared with last year’s corresponding period, according to Fars Province’s Industries, Mining and Trade Organisation.

Iraq, Afghanistan, the UAE and Kuwait were the main export destinations, IRNA reported. Nine out of 71 cement plants across Iran are located in the southern Fars province, annually producing 5.7Mt of the total domestic output of 75Mt.