Cement producers change clinker import route

Cement plants in the Bara-Parsa Industrial Corridor, Nepal, have started importing clinker from Narayanpur railway station in India after residents in Raxaul barred the transport of clinker citing increased pollution and health hazards.

Narayani Cement and Shalimar Cement are bringing in clinker from Narayanpur railway station, some 150km from Raxaul. The cement plants said the consignments have already arrived at the station and are being prepared for transport to Birgunj.

Since imports via Raxaul came to a halt on 22 December 2017, cement plants have faced an acute shortage of clinker. However, the alternative route has raised production costs. But this has raised our production cost, as we are paying additional INR2000-2200 to transport per tonne of clinker," said Umesh Chandra Thakur, managing director of Narayani Cement.

Most of the 13 cement plants in the Bara-Parsa Industrial Corridor depend on India for raw materials such as clinker, gypsum and fly ash as well as coal. The raw materials are transported to Nepal from Assam, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha.