KAMPALA: Following government’s intervention, the price of cement around the country has dropped by more than Shs10,000 from over Shs40,000 to about Shs30,000 in a space of weeks.
Towards the end of March, into April, cement retailers had hiked the prices from Shs32,000 to Shs40,000 and in some areas it went as high as Shs50,000.
This worried Ugandans especially in the construction sector, forcing Trade Minister Amelia Kyambadde to intervene.
Ms Kyambadde threatened to allow cheaper imported cement in the country.
This threat seems to have worked. At the weekend, PML Daily conducted a survey on cement prices in areas of Nakasero Market, Ndeeba and Natete, revealing that prices ranged between Shs30,000 and Shs32,000.
Rose Kintu, a cement trader in Nakasero Market said the market flooded with cement, forcing them to cut the prices.
“I had no option but to reduce on the prices. Last month, I registered few customers and I am counting losses,” Kintu explained.
In Ndeeba, Godfrey Mukasa, a cement whole seller said since the factory prices had gone down, he had to cut his price. “But I havealso lost many customers,” Mukasa added.
