(MENAFN- The Peninsula) H E Dr Mohammed bin Saleh Al Sada, Minister of Energy and Industry, said yesterday that Qatar is leading cement industry in this region because of the mega projects which is under progress in preparation for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Speaking at cement industry seminar 'Intercem' he said, Gulf region is witnessing unprecedented prosperity in areas of infrastructure projects especially due to two important events - FIFA World Cup 2022 and Expo 2020 - hosted by Qatar and UAE.
He said Gulf countries are going to invest $210bn for these two events where $120bn is allocated for infrastructure projects including transportation, road constructions and bridges.
The rapid growth construction sector is leading to the high demand for cement in international market.
The minister said the construction sector in the GCC will show growth by 5.3 percent until 2020 compared to 2.2 percent in the developed countries.
He further said that cement is the second most consumed commodity in the world after water, that is why its manufacturing is causing high Carbon Dioxide emission in the world. This has prompted big countries to use green cement to protect environment.
Intercem Conference saw participation of around 350 delegates from 40 countries.
Addressing the gathering, Salem bin Batti Al Naimi, Chairman, Qatar National Cement Company said the company has plan to raise the production of cement from 16,000 tonnes per day to 21,000 tonnes per day in 2015. The price is stable at QR13 per bag in local market.
Currently cement is not imported and only klinker is being imported from outside.
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