Trinidad & Tobago: Union members from the Trinidad Cement branch of the Oilfields Workers Trade Union have protested at the Port of Chaguaramas over cement imports from Turkey. A union member claimed that a batch of imported cement had no import duties paid, according to the Trinidad Guardian newspaper. Trinidad Cement has taken legal action in the Caribbean Court of Justice against Turkey’s Sonmez Cimento for breaking local tariff rules. In 2016 Trinidad Cement made an official complaint to Caricom, the Caribbean Community organisation, about tax concerns for a cement import from Turkey.

Indonesia: Semen Indonesia’s net profit fell by 45% year-on-year to US$29.6m in the first quarter of 2018 from US$54m in the same period in 2017. It blamed the decline on fuel costs and rising debt payments, according to Reuters. Despite this, its sales revenue rose by 3.4% to US$476m from US$460m. Its cement sales volumes rose by 4% to 6.79Mt from 6.53Mt. The majority of this rise came from exports, which increased by 44.9% to 0.6Mt from 0.41Mt.

India: Shree Cement is to buy Raipur Handling & Infrastructure for US$8.9m. The railway company operates a railway terminal at Hathbandh in Chhattisgarh near to the cement producer's plant at Baloda Bazar. The acquisition is expected help Shree Cement manage its railway logistics better.

India: Member of parliament Shanta Kumar says that a cement plant for the Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh will be inaugurated in October 2018. He added that the plant would likely be in the Sikridhar area, according to the Times of India newspaper. Kumar had previously discussed the project as a solution to reduce poverty and unemployment in the area while campaigning for election.

The state government originally signed a memorandum of understanding with Jap Pradesh Associates in 2007 to build a 2Mt/yr cement plant. However, the agreement was cancelled in 2014. The plant was intended to use limestone deposits at Baroh Shind.

Pakistan: Kohat Cement has started commercial operation of a 105t/hr cement mill at its plant. The cement producer operates a single integrated plant at Kohat-Rawalpindi. It is also upgrading the site with a new 7800t/day production line.

Saudi Arabia: Najran Cement has received a clinker export licence from the Ministry of Commerce and Investment. The licence is valid for one year from 30 April 2018.

Kenya: Cement consumption has fallen for the first time since 2000. It fell by 8.2% year-on-year to 6.2Mt in 2017 from 6.7Mt in 2016, according to data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics reported on by the Daily Nation newspaper. Reduced demand for building materials in the construction sector occurred at the same time as a fall in the value of building plans approved in 2017.

Colombia: Cement production fell by 3.3% year-on-year to 2.9Mt in the first quarter of 2018 from 3Mt in the same period in 2017. Local despatches fell by 5.45 to 2.84Mt from 3Mt, according to data from the National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE).

France: ArcelorMittal plans to increase its stake in Ecocem France to 49% from 30% by the end of May 2018. The transaction is subject to the approval of the Irish Competition Authority. The French subsidiary of Ireland’s Ecocem was set up in 2007 by ArcelorMittal and Ecocem Materials.

Ecocem produces slag cement from ground granulated blast furnace slag. Ecocem France operates a 0.7Mt/yr grinding plant at Fos-sur-Mer near to an ArcelorMittal plant. It plans to open a second 0.7Mt/yr grinding plant at Dunkirk in May 2018. The new plant is intended to target western and northern France as well as export markets in the UK and Belgium.

Czech Republic: Cement Hranice’s cement sales rose by nearly 9% year-on-year in 2017 due to despatches to fellow subsidiaries of Buzzi Unicem in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Its overall sales rose by 6.3% to Euro61.5m from Euro57.9m, according to the Czech News Agency. Board member Roman Michalcik said that the local construction sector had grown in 2017 due to good weather towards the end of the period and large local infrastructure projects.