Ex-factory price of construction goods steady in China

The ex-factory prices of construction materials and non-mineral products in March remained the same as in the previous month but decreased by 1.78 per cent on-year. The ex-factory price of cement averaged 225-230 yuan per ton since September 2004, with that in March reaching 227.23 yuan per ton, 0.89 yuan less than in February and 10.16 yuan more year on year. As the price hike of coal has raised electricity production cost, the cement price is unlikely to drop sharply.

In the same period, the average ex factory price of rotary kiln cement reached 231.41 yuan per ton, 1.83 yuan less than in February or 10.30 yuan less than in the same period of 2004; that of shaft kiln cement was 212.55 yuan per ton, down 0.54 yuan over February or 10.26 yuan less year on year: that of cement with an intensity of 32.5 was 215.81 yuan per ton, a drop of 0.46 yuan or 9.60 yuan; and that with an intensity of 42.5 reached 243.50 yuan per ton, a fall of 1.10 yuan or 10.25 yuan.

Compared with the first half of 2004, the ex-factory price in the eastern, central and southern parts of the country presented a decline while that in the northern, northeastern and northwestern China went upward, gradually narrowing the gap.