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TCL local market demands grow by 30 %
With the current infrastructure boom Trinidad Cement Limited (TCL) Guyana 
Incorporated (TGI) has seen a 30 percent growth in demand over the last year. Today, because of that growth TCL now controls about 70 per cent of the local cement market.
Back in 2009, TCL along with TGI filed a lawsuit against the government of Guyana for suspending the Common External Tariff (CET) on cement. That suspension was to pave the way for other importers to bring cement into Guyana.
TCL objected but the government insisted that it needed to free up the market because TCL could not cope with the demand. The case was brought to the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) where the cement companies claimed losses due to the Guyana Government’s unilateral waiver of 15 percent of CET on cement imports.
The CCJ panel of judges in the case comprised Justice Michael De La Bastide and Justices Rolston Nelson, Duke Pollard, Adrian Saunders, Desiree Bernard, Jacob Wit and David Hayton.
The government of Guyana sought to justify the suspension of CET because of what it considered a shortage of the commodity in Guyana, as there was a huge need for the product. TCL was successful in the court case. The government in keeping with the ruling reinstituted the tariff.
As one of the leading companies in the cement business TGI stores approximately 8,000 tons of cement in the country at any one time, according to Project Manager Mark Bender.
The breakdown of cement storage consists of a total of 6,000 tons in three Silos that hold 2,000 tons of cement each. There is an extra 2,000 tons of cement held in a warehouse for supplementary purposes.
Bender added that they use in excess of the stored 8,000 tons of cement but, it does not affect production and availability. There are constant daily shipments of cement in bulk for TGI to satisfy demands.
Trucks move 17.5 tons of cement daily to various locations. On a good day, Bender said that 50 trucks carry 10 slings each. Each sling contains 35 sacks of cement. TCL also loads cement onto boats and barges for transportation to Berbice and Essequibo. The company sells more than 8,000 tons in a month.
Recently TCL stated that there will be an increase of bulk cement prices across the board, starting January 1, 2012. Both TCL and TGI will raise the base price up 9.4 percent. Subsequently the price of wholesale cement will go from $1,170 per sack to $1,280 per sack.
There will continue to be a 20 percent discount given to low income and to first time home builders who present a recommendation from the Ministry of Housing.
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