PARAGUAY: Ministro dice que titular de INC no es culpable de escasez de cemento

EL MERCADO EXIGE 85.000 BOLSAS POR DIA Y SOLO SE PRODUCEN ENTRE 60.000 Y 65.000

El ministro de Industria y Comercio, Francisco Rivas, dijo ayer en Mburuvicha Róga que el titular de la Industria Nacional del Cemento (INC), Optaciano Gómez, no es culpable de la escasez del producto. Señaló que las máquinas no pueden producir más de 65.000 bolsas por día.

Rivas fue recibido ayer a la mañana por el presidente Fernando Lugo en Mburuvicha Róga. Al concluir la audiencia fue consultado por los periodistas sobre el grave problema de la escasez del cemento, que paraliza temporalmente el auge de las construcciones, especialmente en Asunción.

Dijo que Gómez (liberal) no es culpable de esta situación. “Si las máquinas ya no dan más, entonces hasta ahí puede dar. Más ya no se puede. De ahí que yo no culparía a él (titular de INC) por esta ineficiencia porque son máquinas obsoletas que hace 20 ó más de 20 años que están trabajando”, añadió.

Indicó que se invertirá con recursos propios unos  US$ 30 millones para satisfacer la creciente demanda de cemento. Pero aclaró que lo ideal sería disponer de unos US$ 200 millones para construir otra planta.

Comentó que desde el lunes 27 de setiembre está en vigencia un decreto que permite la importación de cemento del exterior, especialmente de Argentina y Brasil, para paliar en parte la gran demanda de este producto vital para la construcción.

Dijo que con una nueva planta se estaría produciendo cerca de 120.000 bolsas por día, con lo cual se cubriría la demanda local que es de 85.000 bolsas por día.Especuladores

Insistió en que se debe castigar a los especuladores y manifestó que están enviando controladores a la planta de Vallemí (departamento de Concepción) para ver si se entrega a los proveedores, de tal manera que llegue al público y que no quede en manos de personas que quieran elevar el precio aprovechando la escasez.

“Estamos tomando las determinaciones correspondientes. Están saliendo los inspectores. Creo que les van a solicitar a ustedes que los acompañen para ver si efectivamente suceden estas cosas (especulaciones)”, afirmó el ministro.

En las casas de materiales no hay cemento para el consumidor minorista y ante la insistencia su precio llega a G. 50.000 la bolsa en promedio.

Destacó que para fin de año ya estaría funcionando una planta privada de producción de cemento (Taser) y que en dos años estaría trabajando la firma brasileña Yguazú SA (en Villa  Hayes de Camargo Correa).

Destacó el crecimiento de la construcción porque mueve mucha mano de obra y tiene un efecto multiplicador. Pero insistió también en la necesidad de cubrir con la exigencia del mercado nacional.

INDIA: Cement price sees artificial spike

 Consumers might have to shell out at least a lakh more for their apartments and individual houses since the price of construction materials like cement, steel and brick has increased drastically. The construction industry has taken a beating owing to steep rise in cement price in the last one month. The price of a 50 kg cement bag has now shot up to `265 from `170. Builders say the price rise has pushed the overall construction cost by up to `120 per sq ft.

T. Chitty Babu, president, Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Associations of India (CREDAI), Tamil Nadu, said, “It is an artificial price rise triggered by manufacturers who have reduced production. It is estimated that production has fallen by nearly 50 per cent.” He said the cement price rise has put unnecessary pressure on government-initiated projects, infrastructure and housing projects. “If this continues, builders will halt projects, which will only lead to housing shortage and unemployment. Never have the prices risen so sharply in a week’s time,” he said. However, Mr Babu believes that it is only a temporary situation. “The prices will fall once the demand comes down and builders stall their projects.”

S. Govindarajan, proprietor of Magnum Associates, said buyers and builders would be most affected by the price rise. Also, the price of bricks increased from `14,000 (3,000 nos) to `16,000 in the last one month. Like cement, brick price rise is also caused by kiln owners through ‘artificial’ demand, he argued.

Engineers in the state have upped their ante against the steep rise in price of constructional materials. Federation of all civil engineers associations of Tamil Nadu has appealed to the government to take steps on a war-footing to control the price of materials, particularly cement and steel.

According to federation president R. Mohanraj, the price of cement rose from `150 per bag to `290 (pricing varies for different brands) and steel price has increased by `5,000 per tonne in the last one week alone. Even bricks were not spared. It was imperative on the part of the government to intervene and reduce the price of cement, steel and bricks among other construction raw materials, he said.

“The price hike in Tamil Nadu is unjustified. The prices in neighbouring Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra are still very low,” Mr Mohanraj said, urging the government to fulfil their long-time demand of bringing construction materials under the category of essential commodities to prevent such price hike. The engineers also demanded the setting up of a committee to monitor price fluctuations.

The all-India president of construction workers federation, R Singaravel, said apart from private projects, Kalaignar housing scheme, the pet project of the ruling DMK, would be hit by the price hike. Given the recent price hike, the `75,000 subsidy offered by the state for the scheme would be inadequate, he said, advising the government to increase the subsidy to at least `1.5 lakh per concrete house.

BULGARIA: Italcementi investiert massiv in Bulgarien

Rom. Der italienische Zementhersteller Italcementi plant massive Investitionen in Bulgarien. Der weltweit fünftgrößte Zementhersteller will 250 Millionen € in die Modernisierung und Erweiterung seines Produktionswerks unter Kontrolle der bulgarischen Tochter Devnya Cement AD investieren. Dabei handelt es sich um eines der größten privaten Investitionsprojekte in Bulgarien in den letzten 20 Jahren.

Die Anlage soll eine Tages kapazität von 7000 Tonnen erreichen. Die Bauarbeiten werden in den nächsten Tagen beginnen und zwei Jahre dauern. Dank der Modernisierungsarbeiten wird die Fabrik über die modernste Technologie zur Zementproduktion verfügen und sämtlichen Umweltauflagen entsprechen.

Kostensenkung

Jährlich sollen hier drei Millionen Tonnen Zement für den gesamten CEE-Markt hergestellt werden. Dank der Modernisierung rechnet Italcementi mit einer Senkung der variablen Kosten um 40 Prozent. Außerdem garantiert das neue Werk eine bessere Stromeffizienz und niedrigere CO 2-Emissionen.

Italcementi ist in Bulgarien seit 1998 aktiv und mit einem Marktanteil von 40 Prozent der stärkste Zement hersteller. In den letzten zehn Jahren hat das Unternehmen in Bulgarien über 200 Millionen € investiert.

Italcementi ist auch in Albanien im Vormarsch. Das Unternehmen plant ein Produktionswerk bei der Hafenstadt Durres, das Investitionen von 25 Millionen €erfordert. Das Werk soll jährlich 450. 000 Tonnen für die albanische Bauindustrie produzieren. Italcementi startet mit 50 Personen, das Personal wird in den kommenden Jahren aufgestockt. Die albanische Regierung hat dem Projekt grünes Licht gegeben. Der in der lombardischen Stadt Bergamo beheimatete Italcementi-Konzern ist in Albanien bereits seit zehn Jahren mit der Tochter Eurotech Cement aktiv.

MEXICO: Holcim abrirá planta en Hermosillo

CIUDAD DE MÉXICO — La nueva planta de Holcim Apasco, ubicada en Hermosillo, Sonora estará terminada en invierno de este año. Para su construcción fueron invertidos más de 400 millones de dólares (mdd).

De acuerdo con información de la cementera, la fábrica será la séptima que tendrá en el país y contará con una capacidad instalada de 1.6 millones de toneladas al año, con lo que la compañía alcanzará 12 millones de toneladas anuales en total.

El edificio administrativo del recinto poseerá características sustentables, con las que  aprovecharán la luz solar para iluminación y calefacción. También utilizará la recirculación de agua para refrigeración y riego.

"Con esta nueva fábrica fortaleceremos nuestra presencia en el mercado, colocándonos a la vanguardia tecnológica en la producción de cemento en el país", destacó la firma en comunicado de medios.

PHILIPPINES: RP to extend zero tariff on wheat, cement by another 6 months

 The Philippine government will extend the zero tariff on wheat and cement imports by another six months, Trade Secretary Gregory Domingo said on Thursday.

Domingo said in a Palace briefing that the extension will be fasttracked in the Cabinet so that the appropriate Executive Order may be issued when Congress goes into recess.

"The price of wheat which translates to flour is quite high right now. So, we'd like to continue to support lower prices by providing zero tariff first until situation normalizes," he said.

Domingo said that world prices of wheat have gone up because of the drought in Russia, a major wheat exporter, among others.

Executive Order 863, issued on Feb. 19 this year, allowed the duty-free entry of wheat and flour in the Philippines to stabilize prices and supply for six months.

The trade chief said the zero tariff on cement imports will also be extended, adding the technical committee on the Tariff Related Matters is recommending the extension of the zero-percent tariff on the two products.

AFRICA: Lafarge Algérie lance de nouveaux ciments

Lafarge Algérie a présenté hier sa nouvelle gamme de produits constitués de quatre sortes de ciment pour différentes réalisations.

« Les quatre nouveaux produits qui seront disponibles sur le marché à partir d’octobre prochain seront reconnaissables par leurs nouveaux noms et les couleurs des sacs », a affirmé hier le directeur général de Lafarge Algérie, M. Luc Callebat, lors d’une conférence de presse à Alger. « La nouvelle gamme servira les besoins du marché algérien de façon optimale et économique en permettant aux clients d’utiliser le produit le mieux adapté à leur type de construction à moindre coût », a assuré M. Callebat. Il a précisé qu’il s’agit du ciment Chamil, destiné aux constructions de masse (construction générale, finitions…), Matine, pour les constructions qui nécessitent des résistances particulièrement élevées tels que les grands édifices, Mokaouem pour les réalisations en milieux naturellement agressifs et humides (barrages, digues) et le ciment blanc Malaki, parfaitement adapté aux travaux esthétiques tels la dalle, l’enduit, le carrelage...

Pour le patron de Lafarge Algérie, cette diversification dénote le souhait de l’entreprise de fournir des produits toujours plus proches des besoins des clients algériens. Selon lui, la présence du leader mondial des matériaux de construction en Algérie a pour principal objectif de satisfaire d’abord les besoins du marché local qui continue sa progression en raison du programme quinquennal auquel il contribue à travers son approvisionnement des grands chantiers. « Nous avons contribué aux grands chantiers tels les autoroutes, le métro, les barrages, à travers les produits de nos cimenteries de M’sila et d’Oggaz », a-t-il souligné. Mais cela n’exclut pas le fait que l’entreprise exporte son excédent vers le marché extérieur, notamment en ce qui concerne le ciment blanc. Interrogé sur la flambée du prix du ciment sur le marché interne, M. Callebat a répondu qu’ »il y a le prix du produit sorti d’usine fixé par l’entreprise selon certains critères mais il y a aussi le prix sur la chaîne de distribution sur lequel nous n’avons aucune influence ». Pour lutter contre cette hausse spectaculaire des prix, le premier responsable de Lafarge Algérie a assuré que son entreprise est en négociation avec les autorités locales pour établir « un plan d’action commercial » qui consiste à développer le service logistique concernant la revente au détail afin de réduire la tension qui pèse sur le marché.

EGYPT: No need to renew Egypt's cement export ban-minister

Egypt does not need to extend a ban on cement exports that expired on Wednesday, the country's trade minister said.

"Today while we sit here, the ban on export of cement has expired," Trade and Industry Minister Rachid Mohamed Rachid said at a business conference in Cairo.

"Supply and demand mechanisms in the market ensure that our domestic needs are secured, and that there is no need to interfere in the market," said Rachid.

Cement demand in Egypt rose 25 percent last year, driven largely by housing needs of a growing population and a cash-fuelled economy, but has since slowed. 

The government said last month it planned to offer new licences for 12 cement production lines as it aims to boost output by 40 percent by 2015.

With new capacity being added between 2011 and 2015, analysts have forecast a surge in production that may lead to an oversupply in the next three years or so.

The ban was imposed in 2009 after surging demand drove prices higher. Egypt had also banned cement exports for six months in 2008. 

Cement producers in Egypt include the local unit of Lafarge and Egypt's largest listed cement firm Suez Cement, which controls Helwan and Torah Cement. Suez is a subsidiary of Italcementi.

Egypt was the world's fifth largest cement exporter in 2006.

CHINA: Asia Cement to produce 44% more cement in H2

(China Knowledge) - Asia Cement (China) Holdings<0743>, a mainland subsidiary of Taiwan-based Asia Cement Corp, plans to raise its cement output to 11.5 million metric tons in the second half of this year, 44% more than in the first half, said Chief Executive Chang Tsai-hsiung, sources reported.

The cement maker may see the average selling price of the material rising RMB 20 to RMB 30 per metric ton in the fourth quarter of this year because the government's restriction on power-use caused the short supply of cement in eastern China, according to the report.

Average selling price of cement increased about RMB 10 to RMB 275 per metric ton in September from RMB 265 per metric ton in August. 

In the first six months of this year, the company sold a total of 8 million metric tons of cement at about RMB 250 per metric ton.

In the first half, the company's net profit plunged 56.71% to RMB 140 million from RMB 324 million in the same period of last year due to low cement price.

INDIA: Markets unlikely to absorb cement price hike: Sharekhan

Cement manufacturers are set to hike prices by around Rs 20 per a 50 kg bag from Friday (Oct. 1, 2010) in Gujarat and a similar hike is being contemplated for Maharashtra including the key market of Mumbai. The likely price hike is to cash in on the likely increase in demand following the monsoon season.

Though the cement prices in the domestic market, particularly in the southern, western and central regions, have witnessed a series of price hikes in the monsoon season, brokerage house Sharekhan believes that the same are unlikely to be absorbed by the market as the recent price hikes are not supported by volume growth.

Rather, it notes that the price hikes have come on the back of control of supplies through a cut down in production by cement manufacturing companies. Hence, it continues to expect average realisations of cement companies for FY2011 to be lower than the average realisations of FY2010.
Region wise expected price hike by Cement Companies:

Cement prices in a few major cities of Gujarat like Baroda, Surat, Ahmedabad and Mehsana are likely to increase by Rs 20-25 for each bag and the revised average price would be around Rs195-200 for each bag.

Cement prices in Mumbai and other cities of Maharashtra have increased by Rs 10 per bag in the week ago period and the present average price is Rs 240 for each bag. In addition to this, the companies have intimated for another round of price hike in a couple of days, which will increase the average price in the Mumbai region to Rs 250-255 for each bag.

In Hyderabad and Chennai cement prices are expected to increase by Rs 20-30 for each bag in a week`s time and the proposed average price will be Rs 190 and Rs 275 for each bag respectively.

EGYPT: Allow factory energy imports from 2015

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt will allow new factories to import gas and coal starting from 2015, a minister said on Tuesday, saying expansion in industrial projects should continue, even if local energy supplies did not meet domestic needs.

Egypt had said it would offer new licences for 12 cement production lines as it aims to boost cement output by 40 percent by 2015 to meet growing construction needs and said the firms may import their own energy supplies to produce power.

Egypt has sought to tackle power outages, blamed mainly on local gas shortages, that economists say could cramp investment and which prompted public grumbling during a hot summer and the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

"Energy imports will begin in 2015," Trade and Industry Minister Rachid Mohamed Rachid told al-Mal newspaper."There is a general rule already approved allowing energy imports for new factories, which will go operational by 2015."

"We hope to increase energy quantities, but at the same time we hope that the industry will move beyond this barrier," he said. "There should be no link between the local growth in the produced energy and industrial expansion."

"We are quite optimistic about national energy discoveries and potential quantities."

The minister said the new import measures would apply to all industries and not just cement factories.

"We are talking about a different picture in seven to eight years, a situation that will make companies vie for supplying energy even for a single factory. There will be no waiting list to get energy," Rachid said.

He said the government was working on plans to liberalise energy prices by the financial year 2016/17, saying it had anticipated that it would need imports to meet the growing needs of industry by then.

The government has been gradually phasing out energy subsidies to industry.

NIGERIA: Cement manufacturers raise alarm over low trade

The Cement Manufactures Association of Nigeria (CMAN) says about N42 billion worth of clinker, semi processed cement, is wasting away in their factories due to falling demand for cement.

James Salako, the Executive Secretary of CMAN, told the News Agency of Nigeria that about 1.5 million tonnes of clinker were wasting away in cement factories across the country as a result of decline in demand for cement. “Most of our members have their silos, kiln equipment and a large part of the factory spaces over flowing with clinker because of low sales,” he said.

According to him, the situation is taking a toll on the local manufacturers and the factories may be forced to close if sales do not improve in the next three months. Mr Salako said that many of the factories were now operating at less than 50 per cent of their installed capacity. He said that the current situation, which is being experienced for the first time in the country, was pushing up the overhead costs in the factories.

Sola Adeyemi, the Factory Manager of Lafarge Cement Plc, Ewekoro, said that the factory alone had over 200,000 tonnes of clinker wasting away. He said that the situation was threatening the existence of the factory’s production line, which he said, normally produced between 3,000 tonnes and 4,000 tonnes of cement daily. “We may not have no other option than to shut down the factory if production should drop to 2,000 daily,” he said.

MEXICO: Futuro oscuro para las cementeras mexicanas.

Las ventas de cemento alcanzarán niveles de crecimiento similares a los de años pasados hasta 2013; en cambio, los principales mercados de América Latina registran una sólida recuperación.

 Mientras las ventas de cemento en los principales mercados latinoamericanos se recuperan con solidez, en México está descartada una mejora similar, debido a los efectos de la creciente inseguridad que hay sobre su economía.
De hecho, será hasta 2013 cuando en el país las ventas alcancen el nivel de crecimiento que tenían antes de lacrisis financiera, ya que empezaron a declinar en 2008 y en 2009 (caída de 8.8%), pronosticó la revista World Cement, en su edición de septiembre.
Las estadísticas arrojan que las ventas de cemento en Latinoamérica crecerán anualmente entre 4 y 5% en los próximos cinco años, pero en México ese ritmo será inferior a 4% en el mismo periodo, a pesar de que el Programa Nacional de Infraestructura (PNI) planea una inversión de 226,000 millones de dólares hasta 2012, indicó la publicación.

"No sólo el decline en México fue más prolongado y relativamente más severo que en otros países, sino que también su recuperación está siendo muy débil", confirmó .

"A medio plazo, las perspectivas de crecimiento de la economía mexicana serán obstaculizadas por el alza de la violencia, la cual amenaza con desbordarse en la sociedad, las ganas de hacer negocios se deteriorarán progresivamente y así la voluntad de invertir, pues al parecer los problemas de seguridad no serán solucionados en el futuro previsible", citó World Cement.