Construction of houses and other infrastructural facilities in Tanzania have pushed up cement production, reaching 35,000 tons in the first quarter of this year, local media reported on Wednesday. The quarterly production was a 9.2-percent increase upon the previous three months, according to figures released by the East African Cement Producer Association - Tanzania Chapter.

In 2005, Tanzania produced 1.6Mt of cement through its three cement plants that combine to boast of an annual production capability of 1.7Mt. This year’s production is projected to top that capacity because of the construction demand that is projected to rise by 12 per cent.

Local analysts have also attributed the increase of cement production to the privatization of the cement factories in Tanzania since the late 1990s. Records showed that Tanzania’s annual cement production was only 815,000t in 1999. It rose to 1.14Mt in 2002.