Cement dealers in Kerala have launched a protest against leading cement brands for allegedly not paying them the difference in the billing and selling price of the product. Cement companies bill a dealer for a certain price and the money is collected outright. However, the dealers are asked to sell the product according to the market trend. Any loss suffered by the dealer is made up by the cement companies, which release letters of credit periodically.
However, the Kerala Cement Dealers? Association, which represents around 6,500 registered members in the state, claimed that the companies had not made the payments over the past 15 months.