Summary

• Trinidad Cement Ltd will increase the price of cement sacks by 15% from Monday, February 9, after NGC confirmed higher natural gas prices retroactive to January 1, 2026.
• TCL said the gas price hike has significantly raised production costs, marking its sixth consecutive year of cement price increases.
• The move comes amid wider manufacturer concerns about rising gas prices and inflation, while NGC maintains subsidies for non-energy manufacturers are no longer sustainable.

 

By Prior Beharry

COME Monday, consumers will pay more for a bag of cement after Trinidad Cement Ltd (TCL) announced a 15% price increase, blaming higher production costs linked to increased natural gas prices for manufacturers.

In a notice to customers issued on Monday, TCL said the National Gas Company’s (NGC) “previously announced increase in natural gas prices has now been confirmed retroactive to 1 January 2026,” which is having a “direct and significant impact” on its costs.

“While TCL remains deeply concerned about the broader impact of these gas prices on your business, end users and the construction sector, it necessitates a 15% price adjustment, effective 9 February 2026 on sacks,” the company said.

The increase marks the sixth consecutive year TCL has raised cement prices. The last adjustment took effect on February 17 last year.

TCL also sought to reassure customers it will continue operating locally, noting it supports more than 350 direct employees and over 400 contractors and suppliers. The company said it expects exports to exceed US$40 million in 2026 and described itself as a leading foreign exchange generator.

“We value our long-standing partnership with you and will continue to work together to navigate these challenging market conditions,” TCL said.

The cement price hike comes amid wider concern from manufacturers over rising input costs. On January 20, the Trinidad and Tobago Manufacturers’ Association (TTMA) warned that a proposed 76% increase in natural gas prices by NGC—from US$3 to US$5.30 per MMBtu—could further squeeze businesses already facing higher electricity costs and shipping fees, increasing the risk of inflation.

The TTMA wrote to NGC proposing that the increase for light industrial customers, or non-energy manufacturers, begin at US$4 per MMBtu in 2026, followed by annual increases of about 4% over three years through 2028.

However, NGC chairman Gerald Ramdeen had defended the move, saying non-energy manufacturers have benefited for more than a decade from gas prices subsidised below NGC’s acquisition costs, with no evidence the savings were passed on to consumers.

Ramdeen said the current board would not continue what he described as a financially unsustainable policy.