Belarusian cement displaces Russian cement from the Russian market: economic conflict is brewing – SZRU

An economic conflict with Belarus is brewing in Russia due to the oversaturation of the cement market. About said The Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine.

Russia's largest manufacturer, Cemros, which unites 16 plants and more than 30 quarries in 13 regions, is switching to a four-day work week on October 1 due to falling sales.

The problem is caused by large imports of cement, especially from Belarus, as well as Kazakhstan, Iran, China, and Vietnam.

Over the past five years, cement imports to Russia have almost tripled, while domestic consumption has grown by only 16%. As a result, Belarusian cement is already pushing Russian products out of the market, and factories in Russia are forced to cut production.

The Tsemros company, owned by pro-Kremlin oligarch Oleg Deripaska, proposes to restrict imports and impose five-year anti-dumping duties to protect local producers.

Russian cement producers want to fix imports at 1.5 million tons per year. This will help to load at least 2 million tons of additional products from Russian plants.

Otherwise, in 2025, the market could decline by 10-15% compared to 2024, when demand was about 67 million tons.

• On July 25, it was reported that Belarus was negotiating with Russia on attracting additional funding to cover the budget deficit.