By Sachin Kumar
DOHA: Qatar Primary Materials Company (QPMC) has signed five agreements with private firms for the procurement of primary construction materials to the Qatari market, mainly gabbro and limestone. The deals will increase stock of primary materials under the supervision of QPMC to 58 million tonnes (MT).
Speaking at a media roundtable, Eisa Al Hammadi, QPMC Chief Executive Officer, said that QPMC’s new vision includes developing close partnerships with private sector. “It was necessary to revisit our vision after 10 years in operation, and a paradigm shift from a cargo handling company, to a major construction materials’ trader and distributor and ambitiously, a price regulator at the local level,” said Al Hammadi.
QPMC has signed agreement with Doha Quarry in which it will provide 3 MT of gabbro for a one-year period while MFH will procure 7.5 MT limestone for five years. Oryx Trading has agreed to supply 2 MT of gabbro for a year while Village Trading will be supplying in turn 6 MT of gabbro over five years to QPMC. These are all Qatari-owned companies.
“These agreements are capable of increasing the local stockpile of primary materials under the supervision of QPMC to 58 MT, which takes care of the national demand first and foremost and ensures both price competitiveness and constancy for the benefit of private sector companies,” said Al Hammadi.
The company has signed supply agreements with 24 local contractors to source them 1.11 MT of materials, which would increase profitability and investment in the upgrade of company assets and facilities to the highest levels, Al Hammadi said. He said the company seeks to stabilise the prices of primary infrastructure materials and establish quality standards for aggregates and limestone in the long-term.
The procured materials will be stored in QPMC-owned facilities in Lusail, Mesaieed and RasLaffan. It will ensure accessibility of materials and timely delivery to all construction sites around the country. QPMC is increasing the capacity of the bulk materials with the construction of the Gabbro Berth Terminal in Mesaieed Port, which will have an unloading capacity of 34 MT a year. In Lusail, QPMC’s jetty will supply 3 MT of construction material per year to support all construction work in the new city.
QPMC has also set up two floating jetties in RasLaffan to supply the needed primary materials with total port receiving capacity of 9 MT a year.
The Peninsula
