Road-building may help ease cement glut

VietBusinessNews - 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. (VNA)