Cement makers may end H1FY25 with higher raw material costs, weak pricing

In a judgement passed in August, the Supreme Court upheld states' authority to impose additional taxes on minerals, including limestone, with effect from April 2005

As September draws to a close, cement makers in India may end the first-half of the current financial year (H1FY25) with higher than expected raw material costs, amid weak pricing, industry experts and analysts suggest.

Cement makers continue to focus on reducing power and fuel costs as expenses on raw materials such as limestone, fly-ash and others remain elevated. Meanwhile, attempts to increase prices have largely failed to hold.

“While raw material costs were anticipated to remain range-bound at the beginning of the financial year, with fly-ash and slag prices trending downwards, this trend did not sustain