The compulsory certification of imported cement will come into effect on July 1.

On April 28, the Ministry of Trade and Integration of Kazakhstan and representatives of the Association of QazCem Cement and Concrete Producers of Kazakhstan held an online industry meeting to discuss issues such as cracking down on fake and inferior cement products in the building materials market. Suldanov, Minister of Trade and Integration of

Kazakhstan, pointed out that today, Kazakhstan cement is a competitive and high-quality product in both domestic and foreign markets. Moreover, it has a second-generation factory. Now, however, cheap and inferior cement is beginning to appear in the domestic market.

After four years, the Harbin Technical Calibration and Metrology Committee and experts in the cement industry have jointly formulated a set of cement standardization documents and technical specifications.

In order to solve the existing problems in the cement market, the Regulations on Safety Technology of Construction, Building Materials and Products in Kazakhstan have been revised.

Among them, according to the national standard document of Production Process and Quality Identification of Cement Products (С 3361-2019), the provisions of compulsory certification of cement products are added. Abenov, chairman of

Kazakhstan's Technical Calibration and Metrology Committee, said the move would further regulate the cement market. In the future, all participants in the market, including imported cement, will be subject to mandatory certification in accordance with the national standards of Kazakhstan.

Abenov also said that from July 1, 2021, Kazakhstan's Technical Calibration Law will come into force. The

Technical Calibration and Metrology Committee of Kazakhstan will take the form of preventive control to supervise the implementation of technical regulations in the cement industry, and will take samples for testing if there are violations.

However, Abenov pointed out that without product testing capabilities, namely the corresponding cement testing laboratories, national regulators would not be able to effectively identify counterfeit and inferior products and protect the domestic market from inferior foreign cement.

Therefore, the primary task of the Kazakhstan Technical Calibration and Metrology Committee is to establish a testing laboratory. On April 27,

2021, the Cement Quality Testing Laboratory of the Sapa Inter System obtained the certificate of electronic accreditation and will provide testing services in accordance with Kazakhstan's national standard for cement.