With 30 per cent lesser off take of 430 million tonnes of cement last year, due to slow down in construction industry, a similar trend is likely to continue this year also, a top official of JK Cements said on Saturday.

The reports of similar pattern of consumption in the first five months of this fiscal from construction industry coming, there will be only only 70 per cent of off take of grey cement, the company administrator and adviser, M.P. Rawal, told reporters here.

The cement industry does not want to take risk and nearly 130 tonnes of cement went either unsold or unutilised, he said adding the production this year will also be reduced drastically considering the lesser demand.

As far as company was concerned of the 10.5 million tonne capacity, it may produce seven million tonne, he said.
Stating that the company was not selling its grey cement to Tamil Nadu in view of high transportation cost, Rawal said that there was no proposal to set up a plant in this part of the country, fearing the availability of raw materials such as lime stone.

On ever increasing prices and cartel reportedly being formed by a few cement manufacturers, Rawal said, “first of all this is a competitive industry and nobody trust each other. in this condition there is no truth in forming cartel to increase the prices.”

The changing Government policies have also big impact on the prices and even economic predictors have failed to come out with the price pattern, he said.

To a question on how bullet train will help the cement industry, Rawal, here in connection with the 26th Edition of Architect of the Year Awards scheduled for Sunday, said that with one bullet train there will not be big impact.