New Delhi, March 19 -- Cement prices are expected to surge towards the end of March or early April 2026 due to rising crude-linked input costs, according to a report by Nuvama.

The report highlighted that dealers are anticipating price hikes as companies look to offset the impact of increasing pet coke prices and higher packaging costs, both of which are influenced by rising crude prices.

"Dealers expect price hikes in late Mar-26/early Apr-26 to mitigate the impact of rising petcoke prices and packaging costs," the report noted.

It added that cement companies had implemented price hikes in the non-trade segment across regions in early February 2026, but these were rolled back in some regions by late February 2026. Prices have remained...