July 24: The government has adopted a policy for the country to become self reliant on cement. On the other hand, the government’s policy itself forces cement manufacturers to import clinker from abroad.

The Nepal Bureau of Standards and Metrology (NBSM) has set a criterion for Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) to have not more than 5 percent of Magnesium Oxide (MGO). However, the content of MGO in locally-made clinker is more than 6 percent due to which cement producers are forced to import clinker from India.

Some local clinker industries have been manufacturing clinker by purchasing limestone from mines that have low content of magnesium. However, majority of cement industries import clinker. It has been found that the mines in western Nepal has high content of MGO.

Although the mines of eastern Nepal have low content of MGO which comply with the standard set by the government, mines of western Nepal in Palpa and  Dang have high amount of MGO, according to Dhruba Thapa, chairman of Nepal Cement Producers Association.

“We are forced to mix the clinker with high content of MGO with the ones with low content. This increases the cost of production,” said Thapa.

Thapa claimed that the limestone of Palpa and Dang have 4 percent of MGO, which increases to 6 percent when they prepare clinker.

Communication officer at the NBSM Sanjeev Kumar Thakur said that they have received information that the content of MGO differ from one mine to the other, but they do not have proper data regarding it.

At present, there are 65 cement industries in operation in Nepal. Among them, 18 produce clinker on their own. The others import clinker. The government has announced plans to become self reliant on cement four years ago. But the industry is still relying on import to produce cement.

NBSM claims that high content of MGO makes the cement weak.