Reports suggest that the Indian cement industry is likely to show growth above 12% in February, making it the third consecutive month to see double-digit growth. Demand is high, in spite of rising cement prices, which are likely to be further exacerbated by the excise duties hike from 8% to 10%.
JK Lakshmi Cement has reported a 20.28% leap in sales for the month of February. Sales rose from 3.55 lakh t in February 2009 to 4.27 lakh t last month. Production similarly rose 24.14% to 4.32 lakh t .
Aditya Birla Group reported a rise in shipments of 9.4% y/y to 3.19 million t, and a 9.74% increase in cement production. For the April – February period, production is up 15.83% y/y.
Ambuja Cements increased cement production 4.66% in February to 16.84 million t. Some 16.9 million t of cement was dispatched in February this year, making the January and February combined dispatches some 34.38 million t, an increase of 4.98% y/y.
Meanwhile, Jaiprakesh Associates, with its newly installed capacity, has reported a 61% increase in dispatches at 1.16 million t. Dalmia Cement also recorded higher dispatches, up 28%. Shree Cement’s dispatches grew 5.54%, but the company remains optimistic that demand will maintain its current strength. Of the major cement players, at this point only ACC has recorded negative growth of -2.3%. The company has recently commissioned new capacity, but has not yet begun to fully utilise this.