Tanzania Portland Cement (TPCC), part of the Heidelberg Cement Group, said that it its production targets would not be deterred by the ongoing “illegal importation” of cement into the east African country.
The firm’s MD, Alfonso Rodriguez, said that the company will produce 1.5Mta this year, up from 1.4Mta in 2014. The increased capacity follows last year’s commissioning of a new 0.8Mta mill.
Local cement manufacturers have expressed their concerns over what they deem as cheap imports from Asia, claiming that they are eating into their profits and creating an unfair playing ground.
The government for its part has maintained that it allowed the importation of subsidised cement to cover the market gap created by high demand pushed by the growing construction industry.
TPCC is HeidelbergCement’s flagship cement plant in east Africa. The company also recently modernised one of the older kilns and increased clinker capacity by 0.25Mta. The works now has a total cement capacity of 2.2Mta.
