ZAMBIA: Zambezi Portland Cement introduces cheaper cement

WITH the rising competition in the cement industry, Zambezi Portland Cement (ZPC) has taken steps to reposition itself on the market by introducing a new brand that is comparatively cheaper.

The price of cement has since fallen to K51 from over K70 early this year before the multi-million Dangote Industries started offloading its commodity on the market from its Masaiti-based plant.

The ZPC launch gives consumers a competitive brand of cement, specifically tailored for block making, road construction and light construction. The commodity is pegged at K51.

Speaking during the launch of Eagle Cement in Ndola on Saturday, ZPC marketing director Valerio Ventriglia said the new product is highly sought by block makers, bricklayers and the entire construction industry.

INDIA: Cement prices up 40% despite low demand from real estate industry

Cement prices have jumped 20-40 per cent over the past two months in top cities despite demand from the real estate industry, which is its largest buyer, being low. This has put builders in a spot of bother, especially at a time when the market is already slow. 

The builder body, Confederation of Real Estate Developers' Associations of India (CREDAI), has alleged cartelization among cement companies and plans to approach the Competition Commission of India (CCI) to file a complaint, having 

filed a similar one last year. "They have created a shortage by cutting down on production. Cement companies are now quoting similar prices in different regions," said Getamber Anand, national president of CREDAI and the managing director of ATS Infrastructure. 

Sample this. Cement prices in Noida have risen from Rs 200 a bag in July this year to Rs 285 in September. In Bengaluru, prices have risen by about Rs 30 a bag in the last month or so to overRs 400 a bag. In Hyderabad, it has gone up from Rs 265 a bag in July to about Rs 305 a bag in September. In Ghaziabad, prices have risen from Rs 195 a bag in June to Rs 280 a bag in September. 

Email questionnaires sent to Ambuja Cement, JK Lakshmi Cement, Ultratech Cement, ACC, Shree CementBSE -3.90 % and to the Cement Manufacturers' Association did not elicit any response till the time of going to press. 

Vineet Relia, managing director at SARE Homes, said it is unfortunate that the RBI governor and the government are nudging us to cut prices but cannot control raw material prices, including cement. "If the government wants to do something, it should control these cartels," said Relia. 

A cement analyst with a broking firm said till about June-July, most cement companies were undercutting each other but since then they have all got together and decided to focus on protecting their margins rather than gun for volumes. 

Ajay Chandra, managing director of Gurgaon-based builder Unitech, said this increase in cement prices is quite unexpected. "This will not help the government in fulfilling its housing-for-all plan. Moreover, we have to absorb this price rise in existing projects but pricing in any new projects will reflect this input price increase," he said. 

This is not the first time that builders have alleged cartelization against cement companies. The Builders' Association of India (BAI) had filed a complaint with the CCI in 2010 in which it alleged that cement companies were colluding to fix cement prices. It had filed the complaint against 10 top cement manufacturers and the Cement Manufacturers' Association (CMA).