The average per-bag price realisation of Indian cement makers increased from a modest four per cent in the financial year 2003-04 to 13.26 per cent in first quarter ended in June 2004 and further to 15.62 per cent in the second quarter to September 2004. As a result, PBIT margin, or operating profit margin, of the 14 main cement companies zoomed to 16.23 per cent in the first half of this financial year from 9.52 per cent in the year-ago period.