After six hours of negotiations between government representatives, cement producers and hardware retailers, a 47% increase was agreed upon for the price of Portland cement, compared to last week’s price. A sack of cement will now be sold at RD$125 after it had been increased from RD$85 to RD$150 last week, according to a report by El Caribe. This new price is exclusive for Santo Domingo and Santiago as it only includes ITBIS (VAT) without freight, making the product costlier in more remote areas.