Hardware store owners say cement price too high, want it from abroad, Dominican Republic
Hardware store owners asked the Dominican government to allow cement to be imported freely, to counter the national producers’ increase of 17 pesos per bag.
Hardware store owners association president Luís Mejía said the rise isn’t justified and that the multinational cement company which operates in the country increased the price without previously notifying the distributions.
He said they’ll have to pass the 20 peso increase per bag on to consumers, which he said significantly affects the country’s construction industry.
"The increase in cement must be seen more than a commercial problem, as a social problem, given the fact the construction sector is the one which most moves the economy,” he said, adding that they propose that the government allows importing cement from Asia at no more than 95 dollars per ton, against the local cost of 150 dollars per ton.
Mejía said if cement is freely import, its price would fall up to 40 percent compared with the current price of more than RD$200 per 100 pound bag. Published under Cement News
