HIMALAYA: Rolpa cement soon in market

TULSIPUR: Rolpa district, which is regarded as one of the remotest areas of the nation, is now becoming self-reliant in cement production.

The first and the only cement industry of the district, the Rolpa Cement Pvt. Ltd. is to bring out its product soon, making the district self-reliant in cement. 

Company Manager Dinesh Dangi said the industry established three-year-ago plans to produce cement soon after Tihar festival. 

The industry is facing trouble as the government did not provide electricity it pledged and has been making extra expenditures for diesel generator, said Dangi. The industry established in Budhaguan-3 has been producing 500 tons of clinker daily. 

The industry established at a cost of Rs. 1.1 billion has a capacity of producing 200 tonnes of cement daily. It has given employment to 100 people and 150 will get jobs after its operation. 

The industrial site is 38 kms from Tulsipur of Dang and 17 kms from Kapurkot of Salyan district.

HIMALAYA: Cement output hurt by slowdown

KATHMANDU: Though there are around three dozen cement industries in Nepal, the country has to import around 40 per cent cement to meet the domestic demand. 

“Some 29 already established big cement industries with installed capacity of around 12,700-tonne per day can supply only around 60 per cent of the demand,” said Jayandra Chudal, executive director of the Bishal Cement. Bishal Cement is a Rs 500-million close-circuit plant planning to start production by this April. 

Last year, when the country witnessed a construction boom, cement industry emerged as a new investment avenue. The Central Bureau of Statistics has predicted an increase in the contribution of construction sector to 6.62 per cent to the gross domestic product (GDP) in the last fiscal year, compared to a fiscal year ago, due to increase in construction materials, government and private sector construction activities.

“However, there is a slowdown this year,” he said, adding that the companies are now producing half of their installed capacity due to slowdown in the construction business.

“If all the companies that are under construction come into operation, the total production capacity will reach above 16,000 tonne a day, excluding the industries that have 100 tonne and less capacity,” Chudal said.

Of the 29, seven are mine-based cement industries, including government owned Hetauda Cement and Udayapur Cement, and others include Maruti Cement, Butwal Cement, Supreme Cement, and Dynasty Cement that have Integrated Unit (IU).

Some new industries like Shivam Cement, Ghorahi Cement, Sonapur Cement, Rolpa Cement that are under construction are also mine-based that use the lime stone mines to produce clinker for the cement.

Due to more mine based industries, the contribution of mines to the GDP is also predicted to be 4.23 per cent from a fiscal year ago.

The government in its budget for the current fiscal year has announced to give higher priority to the completion of roads and electricity transmission lines for upcoming cement industries in Udayapur, Makawanpur, Dhading, Rolpa, and Dang. 

The cement industries are upbeat. “The local cement industries’ could be encouraged, if only local housing and hydropower companies start using local cement coupled with government incentives,” Chudal said.

The government has also promised to provide benefit of direct purchase of diesel form Nepal Oil Corporation at dealer’s price, in quantity exceeding at least one tanker at a time, for industrial and commercial uses for the manufacturing industries in view of power outage that has hurt the industries.

“Consumer awareness about the quality of cement is as important as power supply to keep productions on track,” he added.

HIMALAYA: Hetauda cement resumes production

BHIMPHEDI: Hetauda Cement Industry has resumed production from today in a gap of one month.

The industry halted cement production for the last four weeks though it had stored necessary raw material and limestone after its clinker machines required maintenance. The furnace in the factory also needed repair.

According to industry management, it took more days than the expected to carry out repair works as technicians had to be brought from India.

It said that special bricks made of modern technology were brought from India to repair the furnace. 

HIMALAYA: Six cement brands told to halt production

KATHMANDU; Department of Commerce today ordered six cement brands to stop production after their products failed to meet quality test.

Kamal Bahadur Thapa, inspection officer of the department, told The Himalayan Times that DoC had directed them to submit clarification to the department within seven days. “If their clarification fails to satisfy DoC, it will file cases against them under the consumer laws,” he added.

DoC monitoring team had collected samples of Nepal Ambuja, Reliance, Agni, Narayani, Jagadamba and Butwal cement from Kathmandu on June 15 and sent them to Department of Standard and Measurement for quality test.

DoSM found that the cement samples did not meet Nepal Standard. The report submitted to DoC last week revealed that six brands –– Mahalaskhmi Super Quality 53 grade OPC, Reliance Super Shakti PPC, Agni 53 Grade OPC, Trishakti OPC, Ultra Premium OPC and Nirvan 53 Grade OPC –– did not meet NS 49 (composition of raw materials) and NS 385 (compressive strength of cement). 

According to DoSM, none of the cement brands passed minimum 16 Mpa compressive strength requirement. Compressive strength of the samples was between 11 Mpa and 13 Mpa. Low compression in cement is caused by improper use of raw materials –– limestone, sand, shale, clay, and clinkers.

HIMALAYA: Clinker import up by three folds

The import of clinker rose by three folds in the fiscal year 2066/67 as compared with the previous fiscal year after the internal production of clinker could not meet the demand of cement factories, according to chairman of Birgunj Chambers of Commerce and Industries OM Prakash Sikaria.

Around 222 million kg of clinker worth Rs 1.86 billion was imported in the previous fiscal year. It increased by three folds to 659 million kg worth Rs 3.91 billion in the last fiscal year.

The demand for clinker is on rise with rising construction of roads, hydropower projects, buildings and other physical infrastructure, according to construction entrepreneurs.

The market demand for cement rises by around 25 percent every year in normal condition. He said the internal production of cement meets only 60 percent of the demand at present.