Dalmia Cement (Bharat) announced a substantial drop in standalone net profit for the quarter ended December 2008, due to low operating margins and high interest cost.

During the quarter, the profit of the company declined 78.93% to Rs 237.10m from Rs 1,125.40min the same quarter last year.

Net sales for the quarter rose 12.83% to Rs 4,099.40m, while total income for the quarter fell 11.45% to Rs 4,060.20m, when compared with the prior year period.

The company reported earnings of Rs 2.93 a share during the quarter, registering 88.88% decline over prior year period.