Nepal’s Udayapur Cement Industry Ltd has seen reduced production and sales between August-September as a result of low voltage and abrupt power cuts, according to the company.

Sanjay Lal Karna, chief of the production division, said that the state-owned factory has not been able to address market demand due to the power supply issues. "We could produce only 18,000t between 7 August and 5 September which is lower than our capacity of 24,000t," said Mr Karna.

The company has also seen a decrease in sales, according to Ram Bahadur, chief of the sales department. "Only 180,960 50kg sacks were sold between 8 August and 5 September. Last year when electricity supply was regular, we had sold 204,449 sacks from mid-August to mid-September."