The July-September 2017 quarter saw the Indian cement market fare mildly better when compared with the general malaise of the past year. Has a turning point been reached? Meanwhile, government initiatives such as the Goods Sales Tax (GST) and a partial ban on petcoke use as well as sand mining are expected to keep the industry on its toes.
Despite one of the best monsoons in recent years hitting India from June to September, domestic cement production contracted only marginally in the July-September (2QFY17-18) period. While prices remained flat, compared with the previous three quarters that faced the brunt of demonetisation, the 2QFY17-18 saw a relative improvement in the domestic cement market.
