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Rupandehi turns into cement manufacturing hub
Rupandehi has turned into a cement manufacturing hub of the country, as some of the biggest cement factories are located in the district located in western Nepal, with production topping over 100,000 tonnes per day.Amrita Anmol
Rupandehi has turned into a cement manufacturing hub of the country, as some of the biggest cement factories are located in the district located in western Nepal, with production topping over 100,000 tonnes per day.
Lumbini Corridor and Dhakdhai of Rupandehi district are now home to 12 cement factories, including Arghakhachi, Jagadamba, Siddhartha, Brij, Agni, Reliance, Goyanka, Supreme, Ambuja, Pathak and Bishal, among others. These factories are churning out more than 100,000 tonnes of cement per day, accounting for about 40 percent of the country’s total cement production, according to the Department of Industry.
Jagadamba and Brij cement factories are two of the country’s largest cement producers in Nepal, while Arghakhachi and Reliance cement factories produce clinker, a key raw material for cement production, on their own.
“Rupandehi is turning into a cement manufacturing hub, as the district does not face much problem in importing raw materials, such as coal and clinker, from India. Also, limestone mines are located in the vicinity of the district,” said Rajkumar Pokharel, managing director of Agni Cement.
What is also encouraging is growing demand for cement in the country, as post-earthquake reconstruction work and construction of public and private infrastructure projects have started gathering pace.
To match the growing demand, cement factories in Rupandehi are now enhancing their production capacity by injecting fresh investment.
One of the cement producers that is aggressively expanding production capacity is Jagadamba. The company, which has a production unit in Lumbini Corridor, is setting up another production plant in the eastern part of Bhairahawa. The new plant, according to the company, will produce 1,500 tonnes of cement per day.
“We are expanding the production capacity considering the growing demand for cement,” said Bidur Dhungana, managing director of Jagadamba Cement, which has already invested Rs3 billion in its existing cement production unit in Lumbini Corridor. The company, which is providing employment to around 400 people at present, will create another 400 new jobs once it sets up new production unit.
Arghakhachi Cement is also making a fresh investment of Rs5 billion to build a new plant to produce clinker. The company, which has already injected Rs3 billion in its existing clinker plant, will launch the new clinker plant within three months.
“The new production unit will bring Nepal closer to its goal of becoming self-sufficient in clinker and cement production,” said Uddhav Karki, managing director of Arghakhachi Cement, which currently produces about 2,500 tonnes of cement per day and provides employment to around 400 people.
Former president of Rupandehi Cement Manufacturers Association, Rajesh Kumar Agrawal, who is also chairman of Siddhartha Group, producer of Siddhartha Cement, said the district is making efforts to make Nepal self sufficient in clinker and cement production. “For this, the association is extending necessary support to cement factories to enhance their production capacity,” Agrawal said