India’s cement production and consumption both grew by 11 per cent in FY23 (April-November) on a YoY basis, driven by the government’s push for infrastructure development and increased real estate activity, states the latest report by CareEdge Research. The EBITDA margins of cement players declined by almost 10 per cent YoY in H1FY23 due to an increase in power and fuel cost on the back of a sharp surge in coal prices. Limestone prices also escalated during H1FY23. There has been a 7 per cent YoY increase on an average in wholesale cement prices in H1FY23. While the prices have remained flattish in Q3, CareEdge expects an increase of about Rs. 15-20/50kg bag in Q4FY23, seasonally strongest quarter, to partially offset the inflationary pressure.
As per a quote by Tanvi Shah, Director, CareEdge Advisory and Research, the cement industry is expected to see a continued uptrend in volume growth in the near term. In FY23, the volume growth is expected to be around 8-9 per cent owing to renewed demand in the housing and infrastructure segment coupled with the government’s continued focus on infrastructure development in light of Centre elections in 2024. Despite the uptrend in consumption, the profitability of the cement players is expected to decline by 400-500bps in FY23 due to elevated power and fuel cost.
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