Road-building may help ease cement glut

HCM City (VNA) - The Government has approved a proposal by the ministries of
Transport and Construction to study the possibility of using cement to build roads
to boost consumption at a time when domestic cement output is set to overhaul
demand.

Cement will be used to build especially expressways and roads in border and
flood-prone areas to prolong their life.

The cement industry is expected to have a huge surplus this year with many new
plants set to open.

The Ministry of Construction has also proposed other measures to boost consumption
like making cement bricks and tiles to replace those made of clay.

The ministry said 18 mills with a total capacity of more than 20.5 million tonnes
would become operational this year.

It estimated total production to then reach 60 million tonnes against a demand of
just 44-45 million tonnes.-Enditem