Cabinet Approves Cement Imports to Fill Supply Gap

Industry, Investment and Commerce Minister, Senator the Hon. Aubyn Hill, says that Cabinet’s approval of additional cement imports is to fill a shortage impacting the local construction sector.

Caribbean Cement Company Limited (CCCL), which is Jamaica’s primary cement manufacturer, cited production setbacks from heavy rainfall affecting raw materials, and kiln expansion works causing operational adjustments.

In addition, there was an increase in demand as persons began to rebuild post Hurricane Melissa.

Addressing Wednesday’s (June 17) Post-Cabinet Press Briefing at Jamaica House, Minister Hill said that the Government offered importers the opportunity to supply the market with the commodity.

“We had to look at compounding average, annual growth rate and see how we project what cement demand will be,” he said.

“We know that Caribbean Cement Company has imported a lot more [and] the new importers are out there setting up their arrangements. So, the shortage of cement has become much less of a subject. We know that the supply is here to meet that demand,” he pointed out.

Mr. Hill said that the anticipated demand for cement to complete construction works under the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NAARA) is not included in the current arrangements.

“When NARRA comes in there is going to be a whole different calculation because big projects are going to need special amounts of cement, and after the projects [are completed] that demand will not be there. So, we have to put special arrangements in place… but it is not in this allocation of imports,” he said.