A continuing shortfall in cement supply seems to have put sudden brakes to Qatar’s booming construction industry and the crisis has apparently become more severe as exact estimates of the gap between demand and supply are difficult to have.
The situation is, however, expected to ease with Qatar National Cement Company (QNCC), the larger of the two cement producers in the country, having decided to augment imports.
QNCC has a lion’s share in local production, estimated at 1.4Mt a year at full capacity utilisation, as it alone accounts for a million tonnes.
Over the past few months since increasing demand for cement began brewing a shortage, the company has imported seven shipments of 17,000t each to keep pace with the gap in the supply chain. The imports continue, say company sources.
