Coal news and updates

India’s cement production falls 3.83% in April m-o-m

June 18: India’s cement production stood at 23.84 million tons (mt) during the month of April 2014, down 3.83% from 24.79 mt produced in March 2013, according to a compilation by ICMW.

Total cement production during 2013-14 stood at 255.63 mt compared to 248.23 mt recorded during the corresponding period of the previous year.

Due to the dull market conditions, currently, cement manufacturers are operating at only around 70% of the total installed capacity while the remaining 30% is lying idle due to lack of adequate orders, said an industry source.

However, with the new government being formed, the cement industry is a bit optimistic about improvement of the sector in near future, he said.

Despite this, some of the major cement manufacturers are in a capacity addition mode and are coming up with new grinding units in central India. This is primarily due to ready availability of ash, a senior cement industry official said on conditions of anonymity.

The following table shows India’s month-wise cement production in 2012-13 (revised) and 2013-14: