The Romanian economy will not come out of recession next year, either, but will fall by a further 0.5-1%, Mihai Rohan, general manager of Carpatcement, the local subsidiary of German group HeidelbergCement estimates at the end of his term.
“There is political uncertainty, there is a shortage of money
and of decision-making,” said Rohan, the most experienced manager
in the cement industry, explaining why Romania will not be able to
experience an economic rebound next year.
The Romanian economy fell by 7.1% in 2009 against the previous
year, with the latest forecasts expecting a decline of up to 2% for
this year. However, optimistic notes as far as 2011 is concerned
have been sounded, with several analysts expecting economic growth
of between 0.2% and as much as 2% next year.
Rohan, 65, who on January 1st 2011 will hand over management of
Carpatcement to the company’s current deputy general manager,
Florian Aldea, added that the cement market would return to
pre-crisis levels as late as in ten years’ time.
The company’s sales fell by 12% in terms of value in the first
three quarters of the year, according to the company
representative, who added that the price of cement sold by
Carpatcement fell by around 5-6% in 2010 against the preceding
year.