Sri Lanka increases cement prices

Sri Lanka's consumer affairs authority has raised the price of a 50kg bag of cement by 68 to 85 rupees from midnight Saturday, Sri Lanka's Daily Mirror newspaper said in its online edition. 

The price of cement made by Holcim, which runs a fully integrated domestic factory, remain unchanged, the report said.

Manufacturers of cement from imported clinker as well as importers were hit by price controls, after energy prices rose and the exchange rate depreciated.

Earlier amid a global rise is cement prices, price controls caused shortages and controversy arose over the import of allegedly low quality cement by a state connected firm.