Lafarge said on Friday its first-half cement sales in Romania rose by 27.7 per cent year-on-year.  The sales growth in Romania exceeded the average rise of Lafarge’s cement sales in Central Europe, which was 22.2 per cent for the same period, the company said in a statement.  The company’s turnover in Romania last year stood at 6,000 billion Romanian lei (Euro146.4m) and a slight increase is expected for this year, a company spokeswoman told reporters. Lafarge has operated in Romania since 1997. It owns cement maker Lafarge Romcim, stone quarry Lafarge Agregate Betoane and plasterboard producer Lafarge Arcom Gips. The group employs over 1800 people in Romania.