Kathmandu prices rise on higher production costs, Nepal

Prices of most building materials including cement have increased in the Kathmandu valley since last year, according to local traders.

Binod Keshari Upadhyaya, president of the Federation of Construction Materials Association told local press that construction materials have been rising due to costlier raw materials and various government policies. Higher transportation costs and wages have also pushed up prices of clinker.

Cement prices have reportedly risen 8-10 per cent this year, according to the association. Most OPC brands now cost between NPR650-680/bag compared to NPR630-640/bag a year ago. Similarly, PPC costs in the range of NPR780-800 against NPR750 last year.

According to the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) prices of construction materials were 6.7 per cent higher in the third quarter of the last fiscal compared to the same period of the previous fiscal.

According to the quarterly index of the construction sector released by CBS recently, 13 out of the 24 construction materials whose prices were compared witnessed a price rise of 10-18 per cent over the year. Such products include polythene pipe, bitumen, electrical items, marble, paints, glass, stone, clay, tiles, sand and timber.