Bilal Hajazi, the youngest Chief Executive Officer of RockCem Limited, has stated that his company is ready to compete fairly with other local cement manufacturers. In an exclusive interview with the Global Times, he emphasised the need for a level playing field in the industry. “We have a super-saturated industry…We welcome healthy competition, but no one company should have an unfair advantage over the others. That is not good for the industry,” Mr Hajazi stated, urging all industry players to receive equal opportunities without favouritism.
He called on the Ministry of Trade and Industry to enforce adherence to the unit floor price set by all importers and manufacturers. “We cannot agree on a floor price and then have someone decide to sell below it…That amounts to unfair competition,” he added.
Mr Hajazi expressed concerns that easing entry for new companies could harm fair competition and proposed a temporary halt on new registrations to prevent what he termed “super-saturation” of the market. He assured that there is enough cement in circulation, revealing that RockCem aims to produce 60,000 bags of high-quality cement daily by the end of 2026, which he called “phenomenal.”
In related news, SOL Co. (SL) Limited has been accused by several importers of violating market practices by selling cement below the agreed unit floor price. This situation, which has been reported to the Ministry of Trade and Industry, raises concerns about market manipulation, particularly as SOL Co. has a private jetty at Kent, allowing them to offload goods without paying port charges.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Trade and Industry told the Global Times that they are taking the allegations of unfair competition seriously but did not provide further details. Investigations are ongoing.
