The Statistics Center-Abu Dhabi reported in its monthly bulletin that the prices of cement and concrete in the emirate witnessed a declining tendency in July compared with June, giving a boost to the construction activity, Khaleej Times reported.

The Statistics Center said that Abu Dhabi’s cement prices declined by 1.74 per cent on an average in July compared with the previous month, due to the drop in the price of Ittihad sulphate resistant cement by 0.71 per cent.

It added that Ittihad Portland cement dropped by 3.87 per cent as well as Ittihad white cement declined by 0.55 per cent in July. Meanwhile, the price of lime gypsum (Oman) contracted by 5.30 per cent below its average price in June to an average of US$340 in July 2009.

The prices of aggregates and sand were generally stable in July, compared to their levels in June and the past three months, the bulletin said. Concrete prices dropped 5.45 per cent during the month compared with June, with the price of standard ready- mix concrete dropping by 6 percent to an average of US$96, down from US$102 back in June, while the price of phosphate resistant concrete slipped by 4.9 per cent over the corresponding period.