Zambia: Zambezi Portland ups cement output

Zambezi Portland Cement (ZPC) has increased cement capacity from 1000tpd to 1400tpd in the last three months.

ZPC acting chief financial officer, Peter Kang’ombe, said in an interview in Ndola that the increase in production was attributed to the booming construction sector that has provided high demand for the commodity.

Mr Kang’ombe said the high demand for the commodity still surpassed the company’s production as the entire 1400t of cement was consumed by the local market within a day.

“Production in the last three months has increased from 1000 to 1400 tonnes of cement a day, due to the huge demand for our product obviously attributed to the boom in the construction sector where massive infrastructure development is taking place,” he said.

Mr Kang’ombe said ZPC is exporting 9000tpm of cement to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which is a prime foreign consumer for the product due to its proximity.

He said despite maintaining the average price of cement at ZMWR50 per bag, management was looking at what measures could be put in place to manage production costs that have gone up due to the recent increase in the prices of fuel.

“The cost of production has gone up, especially after the increase in the price of diesel which we use a lot, so the company will look at whatever measures could be implemented to meet these costs,” he said.

Mr Kang’ombe said management would ensure that the plant was well maintained to guarantee efficiency and keep production at optimal levels as well as enabling the business to run profitably.