Nepal: Udayapur Cement Industries (UCI) has had to pull its shutters down due to the disruption in vehicle movement caused by ongoing strikes.
UCI's General Manager Surendra Poudel said that the plant incurred a US$3.01m loss after it was unable to operate due to lack of raw materials. Cement production came to a halt after raw materials could not be supplied due to the protracted strikes in the plains for the last three months. Poudel said UCI was only able to produce 70% of its installed cement capacity in the last two months. Reportedly, it needs 100t/day of coal and 2000L/day of diesel. However, the required raw materials could not be supplied from India due to the blockade at the border points and general strike.
"It had become impossible to even manage the daily administrative expenses," said Poudel. The plant's total expenditure is around US$4.52m/month, including US$301,339 for salaries and US$90,428 for electricity and other expenses. Poudel said they would not be able to pay the salaries and electricity bills if the crisis persisted for one more month.