Cement dispatches up in Feb

Mumbai: As widely expected, cement dispatches in February picked up with the all-round improvement in the economy after the Government announced a series of stimulus packages.

ACC cement dispatches in February were up 4 per cent at 1.75 million tonnes (mt) against 1.69 mt logged in the same period last year. Production rose 3 per cent to 1.74 mt (1.69 mt).

In the first two months of the calendar year, the dispatches were up 8 per cent at 3.63 mt (3.37 mt), while production improved 7 per cent to 3.61 mt (3.36 mt).

Ambuja Cement, a Holcim Group company, also reported 12 per cent increase in dispatches at 1.65 mt (1.48 mt) and production jumped 12 per cent to 1.61 mt (1.44 mt).

Between January and February, production and dispatches were up 8 per cent at 3.22 mt (3 mt) and 3.27 mt (3.03 mt), respectively.

ACC stocks in the Bombay Stock Exchange were down 3 per cent at Rs 524 and Ambuja Cement closed flat at Rs 63 on Monday.