Ukraine trade body calls for crackdown on fake cement

A group representing cement producers in Ukraine has asked the government for help to fight rising levels of counterfeits in the country.

Ukrcement says public oversight agencies should clamp down on fake packaged cement products which "threaten consumers, their health and lives" and are increasingly encountered in the supply chain year-on-year.

"We insist on toughening oversight over the quality of cement programs and punishment for the sale of counterfeit products," said Ukrcement chief executive Roman Skylsky at a press conference held yesterday reported by the Interfax news agency.

A joint study carried out by Ukrcement and the Union of Ukrainian Consumers has revealed that volumes of counterfeit products have expanded in large DIY retail chains and are being bought by construction companies as well as individual consumers.

"Ten samples [of packaged cement] were bought in several DIY supermarkets in Kiev during the third phase of the project finished in early 2016," said Skylsky.

"The conclusion is that the situation with counterfeit cement has been worsening. Violations have been revealed in all the chains," he said.

Ukrcement's Working Group against Cement Falsification is holding a meeting on April 14 to discuss the counterfeiting problem in Ukraine.