DEVELOPMENT

Lawmakers Inspect CEMECO

Members of the House’s Standing Committee on, June 1, 2009, inspected the Liberia Cement Corporation (CEMNCO) to ascertain the total weight of each of the bags.
However, during the inspection exercise, Cemenco management assured the public that its cement bag is 50kg net.
The clarification became necessary following public speculations that Cemeco products are under weight.
The confirmation came as a result of an unexpected and thorough weighing inspection conducted by the House’s standing committee on commerce.
The committee comprised Reps. Haja F. Siryon, Mohammed A. Ware, Charles K. Bardyl and Kai Farley.
According to the committee, they had to conduct the inspection as a result of complaints reaching them that bags of cements from the corporation are under weight.
The committee together with journalists including a reporter from the Daily Observer with some staff of Cemeco toured the some of the facilities of the corporation and weighed several bags of cement.
During the weighing exercise, both locally manufactured and imported cement were weighed.
Though all did not weigh exactly 50kg, the Works Manager, Thomasson Borje explained that, the computerized scale being a machine, will not always be accurate, and therefore, some of the bags may be a little bit more than 50kg.
“But being programmed at 50kg, the machine will never weigh less than 50kg,” he said.
He also told journalists that the cement is carefully screened before bagging to get rid of foreign materials.
Mr. James Doe Gibson, the General Service Manager, told the Daily Observer that though no one has been caught in the act, it could be possible that the boys, who delivered the cement to the company’s dealers could be responsible for reducing the cement by tempering with the bags before delivery for their own gains.
He again advised the public to only buy cement only from Cemeco recognized dealers.
He further disclosed that Cemeco products sell at US$ 8.95 at wholesale, while dealers are to sell at US$ 9.50. The US$9.50 is the Government’s approved regulated price.
The committee’s chairperson Rep Haja F. Siryon told journalists that though Cemeco cements weigh standard weight, the committee will continue investigation to check the quality of cement produced by the corporation. She further stated that the committee wants to ensure that the right quality of cement is produced or imported into the country to ensure that sub-standard cement will not be on the Liberian market.