French to invest zl.1 bn in building materials sector by 2003

French construction materials producer Lafarge says it will invest over zl.1 billion in Poland by the end of 2003 despite flagging cement sales, which dropped 25% in the first quarter of 2001. The company's representatives said around zl.610 million of that amount would be used to finance cement production in Poland. At the beginning of 2002, Lafarge also intends to increase domestic plasterboard production by launching facilities in Gacki through its subsidiary Lafarge Nida Gips, an investment estimated at roughly zl.278.38 million. At the end of 2000, Lafarge Nida Gips sold 25 million square meters of plasterboard, giving the company a 35% share of the local market. (Puls Biznesu, p.6) A.Z.