| At present, the price per bag is hovering around Rs 126-130 in Hyderabad, Rs 135-140 in Visakhapatnam, Rs 125-130 in Vijayawada and Rs 115-118 in the Telangana region. |
| The week-long transporters' strike, which ended on August 28, saw a temporary hike of Rs 3-5 per bag in Andhra Pradesh. As the strike did not persist as expected, the price-hike effect tapered off and the prices returned to the pre-strike period levels. |
| Industry sources said that the managements of cement companies held an informal meet here today and decided on the price hike as coal prices had gone up by around 15 per cent. |
| The coal prices at different mines in the state are at present ruling at Rs 1,156.88 to Rs 1,657.76 per tonne. While deciding on the quantum of price hike, the cement companies also took into consideration the recent hike in diesel prices as well as the packaging material costs. The diesel price hike has translated into higher costs of Rs 3-4 per bag, while the packaging material prices edged up by Rs 2 per bag. |
| The industry sources stated that they were taking cue from Tamil Nadu and Kerala, where the cement prices already shot up by Rs 25-30 over the last week. |
| In Tamil Nadu, the cement price, which was Rs 135-140 per bag in the last week of August, is now in the range of Rs 165-170, while in Kerala the prices are hovering around Rs 180-185 per bag as compared to Rs 150-155 in the latter half of August. |
| The cement manufacturers in Karnataka and Maharashtra are said to be awaiting the impact of the cement companies' decision in Andhra Pradesh. If the prices rise in Andhra Pradesh as targeted, there would be a minimum hike of Rs 10 in Karnataka and Maharashtra too, the sources observed. |
| At present, the cement price per bag is Rs 175 in Mumbai, Rs 150-155 in Pune and Rs 135-140 in the border areas of Maharashtra abetting Andhra Pradesh. In Karnataka, the current cement price is around Rs 155 per bag, the sources added. |
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