Russian cement exports down by 59% in 2011

Intesco Research Group estimates exports of cement from Russia to have reduced 10% in 2013. In January to June 2013, 73,000tonnes of cement was exported, mostly to Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan.

In 2012, exports of cement shrank by 770,000tonnes compared to 2010. Experts attribute the fall to Russia's having entered the World Trade Organisation.

According to a recent study conducted by the consulting company Intesco Research Group in 2011 the Russian market for sand, crushed stone, pebbles and gravel may grow by 9%.

In 2010, the market for natural sand rose by 12.2%. Imported materials accounted for less than 0.5%.

The biggest country in the world, with probably the most diverse geology, Russia is also a relative newcomer to some of the Western business practices and attitudes that its global counterparts take for granted. After the collapse of communism, Russia had no SME style businesses as we see them in the West - dynamic and aggressive developers of new markets and ideas that can move geographically and economically to fill voids in the marketplace.

The director of Ukraine's cement producers association says The Big Construction programme for road and bridge building and other infrastructure projects gives hope for growth in the country's cement market.

Exports of US-made construction equipment ended 2014 with a 13.2% drop compared to 2013, with a total $17.26 billion (€15.4 billion) shipped to global markets. According to the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM), citing US Department of Commerce data it uses in global markets reports for members, US exports fell to all world regions for 2014, and business to Europe, South America and Australia/Oceania was the hardest hit.