Concrete

Scarcity of Domestic Gypsum Supply

Published

3 years ago

July 17, 2023

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The Indian cement manufacturers are likely to face serious challenges regarding gypsum availability and cost in the near future. Ramachandran, Chief Executive Officer, Zawawi Minerals LLC, Sultanate of Oman, discusses how identifying and ensuring a consistent supply of gypsum will become an on-going challenge.

The Indian cement demand is set for its third straight year of growth with a 7 per cent to 9 per cent jump to over 400 million tonnes in fiscal 2024. Cement demand in India is expected to continue growing for the next few years, backed by the government’s push for infrastructure development and increasing demand in the housing sectors. However, India has a scarcity of domestic gypsum supplies, which does not bode well for the fast-growing cement industry. An essential, non-substitutable critical raw material, gypsum is required for all varieties of cement production.
Since 2009, the gypsum supply deficit in the Indian domestic market has led to increased dependence on largely imports of natural gypsum predominantly from the Sultanate of Oman, and other countries like Iran, Thailand, small volume from Pakistan and Bhutan by road to the northern part of India. This dependency shall continue in coming years and is growing day by day.
FY 2009 to 2023, India imported 57.09 million tonnes of gypsum cumulatively, witnessed at a CAGR of 16.60 per cent. The gypsum import volume represents nearly 35 per cent of the total gypsum consumed by the cement industry. The Sultanate of Oman alone supplied 28 million tons (49.05 per cent) and the remaining 29.09 million tonnes were from Thailand, Iran, Pakistan and Bhutan etc. FY 2022 to 2023 – India imported 5.76 million tons of gypsum, which represents 35 per cent of the total gypsum consumption. The Sultanate of Oman supplied 5.20 million tons (90.39 per cent) and the remaining 0.56 million tonnes are from Thailand, Iran and Bhutan.
According to the production growth of cement and gypsum board, the industry’s demand for gypsum is expected to reach nearly 380 million tons cumulatively by FY 2037-2038 with a CAGR of 5.15 per cent. The maximum local gypsum supplies could be around 200 million tons, which includes FGD gypsum, Phospho-gypsum, Natural gypsum etc. The limited availability of domestic gypsum will lead to supply constraints and increased dependence on imports, cumulatively needing to import nearly 180 million tonnes of gypsum to meet the domestic demands.
Natural Gypsum: India’s local natural gypsum production and supplies are limited due to deep seated gypsum reserves not feasible for mining.
Phospho-gypsum: Phospho-gypsum production in India is limited, the majority of the existing Phosphop-gypsum stockpile may be consumed for on-going road construction, as reported by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. Recently, the Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) carried out an R&D project to explore the feasibility of Phospho-gypsum for road embankment and subgrade construction. The performance of Phospho-gypsum was as good as conventional sand embankment. It was concluded that 100 per cent of Phospho-gypsum can be used for both embankment and subgrade construction.
An Indian fertiliser company has constructed a road using phosphor-gypsum, which was evaluated by the CRRI. Based on their report, the Indian Road Congress (IRC) has been accredited for using phosphor-gypsum waste material for the road constructions.
FGD (Flue Gas Desulphurisation) gypsum: The production growth of FGD gypsum uncertainty shall continue due to huge investments of over US$ 13 billion for installing FGD units by the heavy debt-burden coal power companies. India had initially set a 2017 deadline for 2,11,520 MW thermal power plants to install FGD units to cut Sulphur emissions. That was later changed to varying deadlines for different regions, ending in 2022, and further extended to a period up to 31st December 2026. According to the latest guidelines, the power plant which have plans to retire before 31st December 2027 will now be exempted from installing FGD units and if the non-retiring power plants fail to adhere to the new deadlines, they will have to pay ‘environmental compensation’ ranging from 20 paise to 40 paise per unit electricity generated.
According to the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) the FGD unit implementation status as of May 2023 – only 9,280 MW (4.40 per cent) capacity already installed and only 1,00,430 MW have been awarded bids for installing FGD units.
On the other hand, considering the huge capital investments, limestone costs for the FGD process and other operating costs, the FGD gypsum will not be available at a cheaper price for the Indian consumers – only the limestone cost itself for the production of per tonne FGD gypsum will be US$ 18 or above.

Gypsum Export Supply Outlook
Supply from Thailand: Asia’s past dominant gypsum exporter began to cap their exports with the goal of conserving resources for their own significant domestic industries. The government authority regulated the minimum FOB (Free on Board) export selling price. Presently Thailand exports its gypsum at an FOB price of over US$ 20 per tonne and exports over 97 per cent of its gypsum to the historical gypsum importing countries in Southeast Asia.
Supply from Iran: Iran gypsum export volume significantly started falling after tightening the sanction parameters. Gypsum exports to India started dropping, the exports dropped to 0.17 million tonnes in the FY 2022-2023 from 1.57 million tonnes in the FY 2021-2022, nearly 89.35 per cent dropped.
Historically, Iran exports around 10 per cent of its annual production of gypsum majority to India and other GCC countries like UAE, Qatar etc. If the sanctions are lifted, the Iranian construction and infrastructure sector will grow exponentially, and this will create an immense demand for gypsum in the local construction industries. Hence, the gypsum export volumes shall be limited and the FOB selling price may be increased to the level of the pre-sanction period, i.e., FOB US$ 14 -15 per ton or more.
Supply from the Sultanate of Oman: The World’s largest gypsum supplier – Oman exports nearly 10 million tonnes of gypsum yearly, which is 50 per cent of Asia, Southeast Africa and GCC countries’ imported gypsum demand. Oman exports 50 per cent of its total volume to India and the remaining 50 per cent are exported to the historical gypsum importers like Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Philippines, Japan, South Korea, UAE, Southeast Africa etc.
Gypsum, key critical raw material for the cement and gypsum board manufacturing industries, much of the imported gypsum consuming the above countries is now turning to the Sultanate of Oman for its requirements of the commodity. The Sultanate of Oman is emerging as the single most important supply source for gypsum, with no rivals. However, Oman’s present exportable gypsum reserves are very limited.
The Government authority of the Sultanate of Oman introduced w.e.f. January 2017, a FOB floor price of US$ 12.50 per ton of raw gypsum exported out of the country, which is keen to increase the FOB prices in coming years to meet its own objectives, to increase the country’s non-oil export revenue.
Even though gypsum accounts for just 2 per cent to 3 per cent of the total cost of cement sales, the Indian cement manufacturers are likely to face serious challenges regarding its availability and cost in the near future. Identifying and ensuring a consistent supply of gypsum will become an on-going challenge.

Data Sources

Global cement magazine
Global gypsum magazine
The Fertiliser Association of India (FAI)
Central Electricity Authority of India (CEA)
The Ministry of Energy and Mining – The Sultanate of Oman
Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) – Government of India
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways of India
The Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) of India
Various published reports on Cement and Gypsum industries

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ramachandran is the Chief Executive Officer with Zawawi Minerals LLC in The Sultanate of Oman.

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Indian Railways Plans Green Fly Ash Transport Network

Published

20 hours ago

June 27, 2026

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Specialised rail logistics will move fly ash from power plants to infrastructure industries.

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Indian Railways is planning a large-scale green logistics initiative to transport fly ash from thermal power plants to industries where it can be reused in infrastructure and construction activities.

The initiative was discussed during a review meeting chaired by Union Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw. Union Ministers of State for Railways V Somanna and Ravneet Singh Bittu were also present.

India generates nearly 340 million tonnes of fly ash every year from thermal power plants. The proposed initiative aims to create an efficient rail-based transport system using specialised containers and dedicated logistics arrangements to move fly ash safely from power plants to end-use industries.

Fly ash is widely used in road construction, cement manufacturing, brick production, concrete, blocks and boards. By improving its movement through the railway network, the initiative is expected to support better utilisation of this industrial by-product while reducing environmental concerns linked to storage and disposal.

The move also aligns with India’s circular economy goals by converting waste from thermal power generation into a useful raw material for the construction and infrastructure sectors. Wider availability of fly ash can help reduce material costs in areas such as bricks and cement, supporting more affordable infrastructure and housing development.

Through this initiative, Indian Railways aims to provide a cleaner, safer and more organised transport solution for fly ash, turning an environmental challenge into an infrastructure resource.

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ACC To Expand Cement Capacity Amid Strong Infrastructure Demand

Chairman signals calibrated growth and sustainability focus

Published

2 days ago

June 26, 2026

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ACC will continue to expand its cement capacity in a calibrated manner, deepen its ready-mix concrete (RMC) footprint and accelerate the adoption of low-carbon technologies, the company chairman conveyed in the latest annual report. The note emphasised a balanced and disciplined approach as the business pursues growth while maintaining environmental safeguards.

He argued that the long-term growth outlook for the Indian economy remains strong but that demand conditions in the near term were likely to stay moderate, necessitating cautious expansion. He pointed to India’s relatively low per capita cement consumption compared with global averages as an indicator of significant long-term potential and highlighted the rise in public capital expenditure to Rs 12 trillion (Rs 12 tn), which he said accounted for about four point four per cent of the GDP.

Against this backdrop, ACC and the wider Adani Cement business are positioning themselves as integrated building materials solution providers rather than traditional commodity suppliers, prioritising capability creation over consolidation. The chairman framed cement as the ingredient and concrete as the performance and said that infrastructure and real estate development increasingly demand engineered solutions delivered at site.

He described how deeper integration across energy, logistics and digital systems is intended to improve responsiveness and efficiency across manufacturing, transport and market operations. The company intends to strengthen technical engagement, mix optimisation and application support to improve project timelines, reduce wastage and enhance structural durability while embedding data analytics and predictive systems.

On sustainability, ACC affirmed its commitment to reducing its environmental footprint through greater use of blended cement, renewable energy, alternative fuels and improved thermal efficiency, presenting industrial growth and environmental responsibility as parallel objectives. The message positioned the group to supply engineered concrete solutions at the point of application as it scales capacity and service offerings.

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Ambuja Sees Cement Demand Easing To Around Five Per Cent In FY27

Company Cites Housing, Infrastructure And Government Capex

Published

6 days ago

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Ambuja Cements has said in its latest annual report that cement demand in India is likely to moderate to around five per cent in fiscal year twenty seven, marking a slowdown from the estimated six point five to seven point five per cent growth anticipated for fiscal year twenty six. The company described this as a transition to a more measured pace of expansion after several years of strong momentum in the sector.

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Industry observers have said that the sector may move towards mid single digit growth rates in fiscal year twenty seven after stronger performances in recent years. The company outlined a calibrated expansion strategy with capacity additions phased to match project pipelines, regional demand patterns and market absorption, seeking to avoid oversupply and pressure on pricing.

Ambuja has crossed the 100 million tonnes per annum capacity milestone (100 mn t per annum) following acquisitions and organic expansion, strengthening its position in the competitive market. The outlook in the report broadly aligns with other market assessments that placed demand at around five per cent in fiscal year twenty five, a recovery to six point five to seven point five per cent in fiscal year twenty six and an easing in fiscal year twenty seven as capacity increases. Executives remain focused on long term demand fundamentals driven by infrastructure and housing.