The first shipment of cement is expected to arrive in Jamaica Tuesday providing some relief to the construction sector which has been experiencing a shortage of supplies.

General Manager of Caribbean Cement Company Limited, Anthony Haynes, told RJR News that 9,000 tonnes from Colombia is expected.

"We have a shipment coming in from Columbia today of type one cement, 9,000 tonnes of cement to be packaged and put into the trade and we will also be selling to our bulk customers and that is the first shipment coming in," said Mr. Haynes.

"Also we will have in the next week and a half, in the next ten days or so, another shipment coming in from the Dominican Republic and that will be packaged cement," he said.

He added that the company has increased production in order to improve supplies on the market.

In the meantime, Carib Cement has received plant certification from the Jamaica Bureau of Standards.

This means that the processes used by the company conform to strict international guidelines in the manufacturing of cement.

In order to maintain certification Carib Cement will have to consistently maintain a high standard of production.