Belarus redirects exports from Ukraine to EU

Belarusian cement exporters plan to switch their export volumes from Ukraine to the EU market, according to the country’s Architecture and Construction Minister, Dmitry Mikulenok.

"We stopped shipping cement to Ukraine in July because of anti-dumping duties. We have switched to other markets, mostly the European Union. We will keep working to replace traditional export markets and increase exports to theEuropean Union, not Russia," Mr Mikulenok said.

While Belarus used to rely on the Russian market for exports, the country is now diversifying its cement exports. The EU market also provides more attractive margins, he added.

Exports of cement via the Belarusian Universal Commodity Exchange (BUCE) have increased significantly in 2019. "Last year we did not use the services of the BUCE. This year the supplies increased 80-fold. We sold 122,000 tons of cement to foreign markets through the exchange. It is a good tool, it shows a real price. So I think we are on the right track," he said.

The current capacity utilisation rate of domestic cement plants has risen to 93 per cent and the industry is also developing new types of cements, scheduled for launch in the 1Q20.