Currently, there is a severe shortage of cement throughout the country.
As a result, market observers have found that businesses selling building materials tend to supply cement only to their daily customers.
Susantha Liyanarachchi, President of the National Construction Association states that the main reason for the shortage of cement, which is an essential ingredient for the construction industry, is the fact that the Puttalam and Galle factories, which produce locally cement, have seen a slight decline in production due to the ongoing Covid epidemic in the country.
According to him, 90 percent of the cement requirement is imported and there has been an increase in the price of cement due to the increase in import costs due to exchange rates.
However, market observation shows that cement is being sold at black market prices these days. Consumers allege that a racket of concealing stocks of cement and selling it at a higher price is also being carried out.
