Cement demand declines after 20 years

Demand for cement fell by 0.68 per cent during the April-June quarter compared with the corresponding period last fiscal as political crisis in large consumer states held up infrastructure and realty projects. The cement consumption declined for the first time in nearly two decades.The Telangana issue in Andhra Pradesh and mining scams in Karnataka have tak-en a toll on the cement offtake in these two big consumer states. In Andhra Pradesh, de-mand contracted by 21 per cent and in Karnataka by 8.04 per cent, according to data from Cement Manufacturers’ Association (CMA).Contact: Cement Manufacturers’ Association. Tel: 0120-241 1955. Fax: 0120-241 1956.E-mail: cmand@vsnl.comWebsite: www.cmaindia.org