Kazakhstan became a net exporter of cement in 2018. During 9M18, domestic cement producers exported more than 1.4Mt of cement with a total value of US$71.5m, almost doubling the export volume of 2017. Imports remained at the previous year’s level of 717,000t, supplied at a total value of US$38.8m.

Imports have always exceeded exports by several times, reaching a record US$150m in the pre-crisis year of 2013, according to Forbes.

Output from the Kazakh cement industry has been gradually rising, helped by investment in new plants, driven by increasing domestic demand.