Kazakhstan: Steppe Cement turnover grows by 34% year-on-year to US$36.7m in first half of 2019 from US$27.5m in the same period in 2018. Its cement sales volumes rose by 6% to 0.78Mt from 0.74Mt. The cement producer said that the local market declined by 3% in the reporting period. Imports represent 8% of the market and they remained stable. Exports fell by 5% to 0.87Mt.

Paraguay: Industria Nacional del Cemento (INC) has launched CPII – C40, a composite cement product. The pozzolanic product is intended for use in structural projects. Its properties include high initial resistance and increased resistance against water. The new product was publicly launched at the EXPO-FAIR Mariano Roque Alonso.

Nepal: The government has approved changes to allow domestic cement to be labelled under 33, 43 and 53 grades. Previously cement could not be certified higher than 33 grade due to a lack of legal provision, according to the Himalayan Times newspaper. The extended quality certification process will be managed by the Nepal Bureau of Standards and Metrology.

Before this latest change some local manufacturers were selling 43 and 53-grade products despite lacking certification. Importers have also benefited from the lack of legal clarity over higher strength grades of cement. It is hoped that the new regulations will reduce imports.

India: The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) in Mumbai has approved Dalmia Bharat’s offer for debt-laden Murli Industries, subject to conditions intended to stop the company going into liquidation. The tribunal has given Dalmia Bharat until 12 July 2019 to decide if it wants to proceed, according to the Economic Times newspaper. The conditions include forcing the buyer to reinstate lapsed mining leases related to Murli Industries itself and removing clauses allowing Dalmia Bharat to modify or withdraw its plans at any stage. Dalmia Bharat bid around US$60m to buy Murli Industries’ 3Mt/yr cement plant in Maharashtra in late 2017.