Cement prices may go down, India

Cement prices may go down, India
12 July 2006


Cement prices appear to be steady despite the monsoon having set in and Mumbai experiencing heavy downpour. But the lowering of the prices, though marginally, is on the cards.
 
While prices of some smaller brands have gone down, prices of big companies like Ultratech, Gujarat Ambuja, ACC are still seeing upward swing.
 
"We are trying to hold the prices at the same levels. Although there will be some slackening, we are taking care that prices, stocks and despatches do not suffer. Anyway we do not revise our prices seasonally and hope better performance this year", said R Nand Kumar, vice-president - marketing and corporate communications, ACC.
 
At present cement priced are hovering is an all-time high of Rs 245 per bag in the retail market. The price is Rs 215 in the wholesale market. This price tag is not a fixed one, with retailers and companies marginally varying prices at different locations. The price also depends on the quality and variations in the cement.
 
For the cement companies cashing in on the delayed monsoon, demand is slightly coming down in the past few days owing to rains. With demand pressure slipping, cement companies would have been forced to cut their prices. The monsoon this year has not shown it’s impact as yet.
 
Published under Cement News