Cement shortage delays many projects, Qatar
Cement continues to be in short supply, a senior official at the Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry (QCCI) says he is completely in the dark about the reasons behind the shortage.
"We know there is cement shortage but we do not know what is the reason is. Is there shortage because of production problems or because the projects that we have are larger than our cement production capacity would allow," asked Nasser Ahmed Al Meer, QCCI Board Member.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a contractors meeting at QCCI headquarters yesterday, Al Meer hinted that some construction materials are finding their way to the black market.
"Construction materials like cement are available as they are produced locally. Cement may not be available at the source but it can be found in the black market at prices four or five times higher than the fixed price. For instance, a bag that costs QR12 would fetch QR65," he said. The meeting was called by the QCCI to try and sort out the problems related to construction materials. "We will try and find who is causing this problem," said Al Meer.
The prices have shot up dramatically and QCCI would make an effort to freeze the prices and set up a mechanism which would help garner government support to have these materials subsidised.
Published under Cement News
