No pricing respite yet for cement firms; higher realisations crucial

Ban on sand mining, especially in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Tamil Nadu, was one of the key reasons responsible for a lag in cement demand

The recent cement channel checks undertaken by brokerages have disappointed the sector on the realisations front even as there are high hopes of recovery.
 
In February, realisations across most regions have remained flat with some areas even witnessing a decline.
 
Channels checks by IIFL indicated that the India average cement price is down 1.4 per cent in February compared with January 2018. Most of this decline occurred in the first fortnight of February.
 
Analysts said this was the second time in a decade that the all-India average cement prices had declined versus the January rates (the last