Jamaica approves cement imports to ease construction shortage

The Jamaican government has approved the importation of additional cement to address a shortage affecting the local construction sector.

This move comes as the industry grapples with production setbacks and surging demand in the wake of Hurricane Melissa in late October 2025.

At a Post-Cabinet Press Briefing held at Jamaica House, Industry, Investment and Commerce minister, senator Aubyn Hill, explained the decision on June 19. "We had to look at compounding average, annual growth rate and see how we project what cement demand will be."

Caribbean Cement Company Limited, or CCCL, Jamaica's primary cement manufacturer, recently reported production delays due to heavy rainfall affecting raw materials and ongoing kiln expansion works. These operational challenges, combined with a spike in demand as citizens rebuild after Hurricane Melissa, have created a supply gap.

To alleviate the shortage, Hill noted that the government has offered importers the opportunity to supply the market with the commodity. "We know that Caribbean Cement Company has imported a lot more [and] the new importers are out there setting up their arrangements. So, the shortage of cement has become much less of a subject. We know that the supply is here to meet that demand," he said.

Hill also said that the anticipated demand for cement required for projects under the forthcoming National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority, or NARRA, is not included in the current import arrangements. "When NARRA comes in there is going to be a whole different calculation because big projects are going to need special amounts of cement, and after the projects [are completed] that demand will not be there. So, we have to put special arrangements in place... but it is not in this allocation of imports," Hill said.

Platts, part of S&P Global Energy, last assessed clinker CIF Caribbean at $71/metric ton June 18.