Cement continues to be in short supply in Qatar and a senior official at the Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry (QCCI) says he is completely in the dark about the reasons behind the shortage.

“We know there is cement shortage but we do not know what the reason is. Is there shortage because of production problems or because the projects that we have are larger than our cement production capacity would allow?” asked Nasser Ahmed Al Meer, QCCI board member.
Al Meer also hinted that some construction materials are finding their way to the black market. “Construction materials like cement are available as they are produced locally. Cement may not be available at the source but it can be found in the black market at prices four or five times higher than the fixed price. For instance, a bag that costs QR12 ($3.2) would fetch QR65 ($17.8),” he said.
Steel, however is not facing the same problem, according to Al Meer.