The first cement depot in Eastern Province worth 700,000 United States dollars has been launched by Lafarge Zambia.
The depot has a cement storage capacity of 3, 000 metric tonnes.
And speaking during the launch in Chipata last evening, Lafarge Zambia Managing Director, Emmanuel Rigaux says that the company has decided to open its depot in the province because of high demand for cement in the construction industry.
Mr. Rigaux says that the opening of the plant will benefit people in Eastern Province as prices of cement will now be stable.
Mr. Rigaux however, says that the storage capacity is not enough for the whole province and that the company will increase the number of warehouses, depending on the demand.
And Eastern Province Assistant Secretary, Beenzu Chikuba says that the opening of Lafarge Cement depot in Chipata is a welcome move because the province is growing at a fast rate.
Ms. Chikuba appealed to Lafarge to increase its storage capacity, so that the province does not run out of cement.
Meanwhile, Senior Chief Nzamane says that the coming of Lafarge to Eastern Province will address the shortage of cement in the province and assist contractors in the new districts of Sinda and Vubwi to do quality building works.