Cement shipments in India rose 8.5 per cent in March from a year ago, the Cement Manufacturers’ Association’s Web site showed.

Sales in March were 16.41Mt, compared with 15.12Mt in the year-ago period.

Production rose 9.2 per cent to 16.37Mt last month, against 14.99Mt a year earlier.

For the full year ending March 2008, cement shipments rose about eight per cent to 167.65Mt and production to 168.29Mt from a year ago.