Indonesia to triple cement imports

Indonesia to triple cement imports

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia will more than triple its cement
imports this year to meet increasing demand, Minister of Industry
and Trade Tunky Ariwibowo said yesterday.

"This year's cement imports will increase by 218 percent to
3.5 million tons, including clinker -- raw material for cement
manufacturing -- from 1.1 million tons last year," Tunky told the
House of Representatives' Commission VI, which deals with
industry, mining, manpower and investment, in a hearing here
yesterday.

He predicted that demand for cement will increase by 16
percent to 27.9 million tons this year from 24.1 million tons in
1995.

Tunky said that to anticipate growing demand, he has required
existing state-owned and private-owned cement companies to
optimize productivity.

Indonesia's cement plants currently have a total production
capacity of about 26.5 million tons a year.

The minister said the construction of some cement plants will
also be accelerated to cope with growing demand.

He said PT Semen Tonasa will start operating its fourth
production unit in South Sulawesi with an annual production
capacity of 2.3 million tons this year.

PT Semen Padang in West Sumatra and PT Indocement in West Java
will also raise their production capacities by 0.3 million tons
each and PT Semen Kupang in East Nusa Tenggara by 0.15 million
tons.

Tunky said that Indonesia will export some 500,000 tons of
cement this year during a season of low demand. (kod)