India: Sagar Cement has completed its acquisition of Jajpur Cements at Jajpur in Odisha at a cost of US$16m. It now plans to build a new 1.5Mt/yr cement grinding plant at the site for US$44m. The project is subject to regulatory approval but it is scheduled for completion by March 2021.

Nepal: The government plans to prioritise cement as a major export. It made the announcement as part of a presentation to parliament for the 2019 – 2020 financial year, according to the Himalayan Times newspaper. However, Dhruva Thapa, president the Nepal Cement Producers' Association said that the government needs to cut taxes on the cement industry to make exports competitive.

Bangladesh: Sayem Sobhan Anvir, the managing director of Bashundhara Group, has signed a cement supply agreement with Tao Jun, the project manager of the Padma Bridge Rail Link for China Railway Group. Bashundhara Group will supply over 0.7Mt of cement for the project, according to Daily Sun newspaper. The US$3bn train line will run for 225km between Dhaka and Jessore.

Pakistan: The gas supply to Lucky Cement’s Pezu plant has been disrupted by an investigation by Suit Northern Gas Pipelines (SNGP) into unaccounted-for gas. An initial short shutdown to the supply has been extended to over a month, according to the news International newspaper. The gas supplier is investigating widespread theft of its gas via illegal connections.