Rock Hard Cement of Barbados has begun to penetrate the local market in Trinidad and Tobago, offering its product at TTD46/bag (US$6.81/bag). State-owned Trinidad Cement Ltd (TCL) has spoken out, warning customers off buying the new competitor’s product.

TCL has been competing with Rock Hard for about a year, its first competitor in 31 years. TCL issued a full-page advertisement in a local newspaper, warning to local consumers to “carefully consider when purchasing, as imported cement is now over 120 days old and is currently being sold in the market. Best practice recommends that cement more than 90 days old should not be used based on both European and American Standards for bagged cement.”