Saudi Arabia’s cement industry is lobbying for the axing of a three-year-old export ban, wishing to supply other countries in the region as well as Ethiopia.
Jihad Al-Rasheed, chairman of the Council of Saudi Chambers' cement committee, is reported as saying Saudi firms are ready to ship six million tonnes to Egypt for the recent major infrastructure contracts in the North African country. Qatar's sports facility works ahead of the 2022 World Cup make it a further major potential client. Al-Rasheed is reported by national media saying that Saudi domestic demand is currently about 57.2 million tonnes and will go up by another 2.3 million tonnes in 2015, but domestic overcapacity exceeds 20 million tonnes.
