Cement plays a vital role in the infrastructure development of any region. The consumption and prices of cement is an indicator of the volume of construction activity and the cost of realty in the market.
As per research firm ICRA’s report on the cement sector, the average wholesale cement prices have increased by 8-12 per cent in select markets like Chandigarh, Delhi and Mumbai between September to December 2013. However, prices have actually declined by 13 per cent in Ahmedabad during the same period, indicating a fall in demand. The cement production has grown by just 3.7 per cent during April-December 2013, states the report, primarily due to weak demand from end user industries.