The Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan cancelled a partial ban on cement import, introduced a month ago to support local producers of building materials. Amendments to the decree "On the temporary restriction of the export of raw materials for the production of medical products and the import of cement products during the coronavirus pandemic" came into effect on May 23. Restrictions were introduced by a government decree on April 23, banning import of “white cement, whether or not artificially coloured” (HS code 2523210000) and “other Portland cement” (2523290000). The April decree should have been in effect for a period from May 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020.
On April 20, the government of Uzbekistan announced the resumption of construction works and the support measures for the industry in the amount of $353.3 million. The restrictions had to be cancelled in order to ensure sufficient supply of construction materials to the construction sites in Uzbekistan.
According to the Uzbek State Statistics Committee, 4M2020 showed import of building materials go down by 20 % YoY ($328 million) with cement accounting for 7 % ($23 million). Production of building materials in Uzbekistan in 4M 2020 fell by 35 %. The costs of construction works performed in the country in January-April 2020 amounted to $2.2 billion, down by 10 % YoY.
