Cement arrivals in Gujarat during December 2011 have been the highest ever according to data compiled by the Cement Manufacturers’ Association (CMA) and industry sources. At 18.55 lakh tonnes for the month of December 2011, the arrivals have surpassed the previous all time high of 16.87 lakh tonnes posted in March 2011.
Gujarat has seen a 30% jump in demand for cement from 14.23 lakh tonnes in December 2010 and it is higher by 11% over the previous November month arrivals of 16.67 lakh tonnes. For the nine months period ended December 31, 2011 the cement arrivals in Gujarat stood at 130.14 lakh tonnes, an 18% increase over 110.23 lakh tonnes for the previous nine months ended December 31, 2010.
Explaining the reasons behind the record cement demand, Alok Sanghi, director of Sanghi Industries, said, “In the past too the December month has witnessed high demand for cement in Gujarat. But, the last month all previous records were broken. A spurt in demand from infrastructure and government projects have led to this record cement arrivals from within and outside Gujarat.”
Sanghi Industries Limited has emerged as a major cement player in western India over the last few years. Company’s 3 million tonnes per annum capacity plant in the Abdasa taluka of Kutch district in Gujarat is ranked as the second largest cement plant at one location in India. It is one of the major players in Gujarat and is now increasing its presence in Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh (MP).