Lower cement prices anticipated as Rock Hard set to return

After a four-year absence, cement company Rock Hard Distribution Inc is poised to return to the local market.

Rock Hard cement initially withdrew in September 2021 after legal disputes with the then PNM government which stemmed from the administration's policies which the company described as discrimination.

In an interview with Newsday in February 2024, managing director Ryan Ramhit said a major issue was that despite his cement being “hydraulic,” it was classified as “portland” or building-grade, resulting in higher tariffs (import taxes).

Instead of a zero-five per cent tariff, Ramhit said the company was subject to a duty of 15 per cent, and despite a successful legal challenge against this move, the tariff on hydraulic cement was later increased to 35 per cent.

The Trade Ministry's decision in early April to reduce the duty rate on hydraulic cement to zero per cent, in response to Trinidad Cement Ltd’s (TCL) decision to raise the price of its cement by seven per cent in February, made the company's return more feasible.

In an interview on June 24, Ramhit said as soon as testing and evaluations are completed by the TT Bureau of Standards, Rock Hard Cement will be back in hardwares, in the coming weeks, at a competitive rate.

This decision, he added, has been welcomed by hardwares across the country in light of TCL’s consistent price increases since Rock Hard's departure.

TCL increased its price by 15.6 per cent in December 2021, seven per cent in August 2022, five per cent in March 2023, 7.6 per cent in February 2024, and seven per cent in February of this year.

CEO of Built to Last Roofing and Hardware in Freeport, Terrence Kalloo is welcoming Rock Hard's return to the local market. “It’s a brilliant move for the people of this country,” he said. In an interview with Newsday in February 2024, Kalloo said Rock Hard was the perfect competitor to TCL and its presence would help keep prices down.

“I welcome this return because TCL had increased (the price of its cement) five times and the government could not have done anything about it. And it’s the small man who would have suffered during that time. The contractors and the companies that do construction could bear the costs easily, but the man on the street who is just fixing outside by him and wants to buy two bags of cement, those are the people I felt sorry for,” Kalloo said on Tuesday.

He claimed that Rock Hard cement also presents a higher quality product.

“Rock Hard is an excellent brand of cement, even better than TCL, in my opinion. It’s a cement that binds quicker and lasts longer,” Kalloo said.

He also noted that even though the brand has been absent from the market since 2021, many hardwares still have the brand’s signage in-store.

G3 Hardware & Home Centre Ltd's general manager Kelvin Ghany said while not in favour of either brand, he welcomed the positive business impacts he expects from the return of Rock Hard cement.

“I’m happy to hear there’s now another player in the market. Competition is good and the net beneficiary will be the consumer.

“This will force the price of cement down which will stimulate some activity in the sector. Once that is stimulated, the rest of ancillary products will be sold so it will add to the activity and definitely boost sales,” Ghany said.

Managing director of Endeavour Hardware Supplies Ltd Richard Ramsubhag also supported Rock Hard's re-entry into the local market noting recent attempts by TCL to appeal to consumers by offering discounts on bulk purchases as it anticipated the return of Rock Hard.