INDIAN CEMENT INDUSTRY AT A GLANCE IN 2015 - 2016 India has a lot of potential for development in the infrastructure and construction sector and the cement sector is expected to largely benefit from it. Some of the recent major government initiatives such as development of 98 smart cities are expected to provide a major boost to the cement sector.
Several foreign players such as Lafarge-Holcim, Heidelberg Cement, and Vicat have invested in the Indian cement industry. Cement demand in India is expected to increase due to governments push for large infrastructure projects, leading to 45 million tonnes of cement needed in the next three to four years.
India's cement demand is expected to reach 550-600 Million Tonnes Per Annum (MTPA) by 2025. The housing sector is the biggest demand driver of cement, accounting for about 67 per cent of the total consumption in India. The other major consumers of cement include infrastructure at 13 per cent, commercial construction at 11 per cent and industrial construction at nine per cent.
The Indian cement industry is dominated by a few companies. The top 20 cement companies account for almost 70 per cent of the total cement production of the country. A total of 188 large cement plants together account for 97 per cent of the total installed capacity in the country, with 365 small plants account for the rest. Of these large cement plants, 77 are located in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu.
Cement production in India increased at a CAGR of 6.7 per cent to 270.32 million tonnes over FY0715. Production is expected to reach 407 million tonnes by FY17.
