Tamil Nadu govt aims 18.86 mt cement production

Tamil Nadu is planning to expand its existing cement production to 17 mt with the construction of a new cement plant with a 10 mt capacity. The state has set a production target of 18.86 mt, and after increasing capacity, government cement will be sold on the open market, lowering cement prices, according to Thangam Thennarasu said in the Assembly. Salem West MLA R Arul raised the issue, claiming that cement manufacturers work as a syndicate and fix prices arbitrarily, causing people to suffer. Arul urged the state to increase cement production by fourfold to ensure that enough cement is available on the open market, lowering the price of private cement. In response to Arul, the minister informed that the price of cement was Rs 420 per bag in January and Rs 490 in June of this year. A meeting with cement manufacturers was held on June 16 on the orders of Chief Minister MK Stalin, in which the cement manufacturers were asked to lower the price. Following the meeting, the cement price was reduced to Rs 450 per bag, down from Rs 420 per bag until August 31. The minister also said that the state has launched a brand of cement called Valimai and that once it is available on the open market, the price of cement bags will drop even more. Image Source Also read: UltraTech plans $875 mn investment as a part of growth plan