Cement crisis stopped various projects across the country

Cement shortage on the market since the beginning of the year cut down the pace of the construction projects by 25 % and affected the prices that soared from 300 Algerian Dinars to 800 Algerian Dinars a bag.

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• The head of the Contractors National Union Ahmed Benkoud has revealed to “Echourok” that most of the projects are at a standstill while others witness slow activities essentially caused by the speculations over this product in the cement plant.
• He indicated that “the contractors saw their supplies halved in comparison to the period prior to the cement crisis which broke out in the beginning of the year. The situation made that work pace in the different construction sites was reduced by half”.
• M Benkaoud laid the blame partly on the trade ministry for not taking firm decisions to counter the speculators despite the order given to the different cement plants across the country to give priority in the supply to contractors rather than individuals.
• He also denounced the absence of control and the authorities ‘carelessness giving the example of the cement plant of Meftah (40 kms from Algiers), the French giant “LAFARGE” property, and Oued Sli (western Algeria) cement plant that undertook maintenance works almost at the same period , while the demand on the market was at the at the zenith.
• On the other hand, M Benkaoud has indicated that the cement prices are falling down gradually on the market to reach a respectable level after the frenzy of the beginning of the year, explaining this downward movement by the decision taken by the government to import 1 million ton of cement in a move to offset the deficit recorded on the market.