Bangalore: Cement production this fiscal year looks set to see a 10 per cent rise, slightly higher than normal, and may touch 300 million tonnes.

The growth rate may prevail for the next three to five years, Mr Sumit Banerjee, Managing Director of cements major ACC Ltd, said on Wednesday.

Housing, infrastructure projects and the nascent trend of concrete roads would continue to accelerate the consumption of cement.

The country produced nearly 270 million tonnes last year and about 230 million tonnes the year before. The domestic sector is put at Rs 1 lakh crore.

The cement industry is pushing for increased use of cement in highway and road construction. Indian roads, at 3.3 million km, are the second largest network in the world.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has planned to invest $354 billion in road infrastructure by 2012.

At a seminar on concrete roads organised by CII and State Public works Department on Wednesday, Mr Banerjee, the Chairman of CII's Cement Industry Division, said concrete roads make financial and logical sense over the traditional bitumen, which is imported.

The industry said using cement in roads would bring 4 per cent cost saving over bitumen.