Tehran, May 5, IRNA - Deputy Minister of Industries, Mines and Trade Ali Asghar Tofiq said on Monday that Iranian ceramic products have a good global market and Iran is the world's 4th major ceramic producer.

According to the Tehran-based English newspaper Iran Daily 'Around 10 universities and 15 research centers are involved in scientific and research activities in the field of industrial and advanced ceramics.'

Tofiq was speaking on the sidelines of the First International Conference on Advanced Ceramics in the Meshkin-Dasht region, near Karaj, Alborz province.

Experts from 11 states including Japan, Canada, Malaysia and India will present papers on ceramics in the two-day event which began on May 4.

Referring to the production of cement in Iran, Tofiq said, 'Iran produces 67 million tons of cement annually, of which about 20 million tons are exported.'

He predicted that annual cement production will reach 70 million tons by March 2016.

By IRNA