- JEDDAH: The Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources is completing procedures for accepting bids on seven licenses to exploit limestone for the production of cement, Petroleum and Mineral Resources Undersecretary Sultan bin Jamal Shawli told Arab News.
He said five of these licenses would be for the production of Portland cement while the remaining two will be for the white cement.
Shawli said qualified bidders must submit to a number of conditions, such as abiding by Saudization quotas by hiring and training Saudi workers.
Shawli said some of these applications had already been approved while others were still under consideration.
Meanwhile local Arabic daily Al-Eqtisadiah, a sister publication of Arab News, reported Friday that the price of cement in Jeddah had increased by about SR3 a bag to SR17.
It quoted cement dealers as saying that the rise was not justified particularly that there was no shortage in it.
It, however, quoted workers in cement factories that the increase might be due to the expansion made in the factories.
Quoting contractors it did not identify, the newspaper said there was great demand for cement in giant government projects but it remained to be reasonable in real estate projects.