The domestic building materials market has remained stable and is growing well in the first months of 2018, meeting consumer demand, the Ministry of Construction (MoC) said.

The MoC said total cement consumption nationwide reached about 29.83 million tonnes by mid-second quarter of 2018, a year-on-year increase of 13 per cent. The production of building glass products was estimated at 105 million sq.m, up nine per cent compared to the same period last year.

The country’s ceramic tile production stood at 257 million sq.m, up 9 per cent against the same period in 2017, while porcelain construction production reached 5.3 million products, an increase of 10 per cent. Nationwide production of unleaded bricks was estimated at 2.45 billion units, up 11 per cent.

The MoC is currently completing the master plan for the exploration, exploitation, and use of minerals as primary building materials by 2025, with an outlook through 2035. The master plan will be submitted to the Prime Minister by the end of the second quarter of 2018.

In the immediate future, the MoC will boost the handling and use of ash in high-power plants and chemical plants, and fertilisers as raw materials for construction materials and construction work, as stated in a Prime Minister’s decision issued last year. — VNS