Tanzania reports cement shortage

Tanzania’s Ministry of Trade and Industry has attributed the country’s recent high cement prices on non-production by four cement manufacturers in the country that had gone into maintenance.

A 50kg bag of cement usually retails for TZS15,000 (US$6), but according to the National Bureau of Statistics data for October, the price had risen by 30 per cent to TZS22,000 in parts of the country.

The plant maintenance programmes have affected supply, which dropped to 150,000t for October, compared with 450,000t supplied to the market in the two months previous, according to The East African.

Twiga, the leading cement manufacturer with a capacity of 0.7Mta, reportedly saw its depot at Wazo Hill, Dar es Salaam, visited by crowds of importers from Rwanda and Burundi, which largely depend on Tanzanian cement.

A meeting between government officials and the manufacturers found that cement demand unusually high as the government is implementing mega construction projects.

The Dangote plant stopped production early October for maintenance. However, production is expected to resume in mid-November.

Benny Lema, director of Tanga Cement, stated inefficient supply of electricity had contributed to low production.