JAKARTA, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Indonesian government is considering limiting issuance of permits for new cement factories in the country next year due to oversupply of the product, a minister said here Thursday.
Only 60 million tons out of the 100-million-ton cement output was demanded by consumers this year, said Indonesian Industry Minister Airlangga Hartarto.
"Now, it has been oversupply. Now we are conducting discussions on whether to restrict construction of new cement factories," Airlangga said.
Should such oversupply conditions continue, cement producers would face disadvantages, the minister said.
President Joko Widodo, who came into office in October 2014, planned to build massive infrastructure projects to pursue over 7 percent economic expansion at the end of his five-year-term. That led more investors to build cement factories in the Southeast Asia's biggest economy but triggered the oversupply.
