Displaying items by tag: Import
South African trade commission starts review of tariffs on cement imports from Pakistan
18 January 2021South Africa: The International Trade Administration Commission (ITAC) started a ‘sunset’ review in December 2020 of import tariffs imposed on cement from Pakistan. The investigation will last up to 18 months, according to Moneyweb. Existing anti-dumping duties, which were first implemented in 2015, will remain in place during proceedings.
The review by ITAC follows lobbying by the Concrete Institute (TCI) in 2019 to add additional protection against imports of cement from other countries like Vietnam. Construction industry data company Industry Insight reports that Vietnam accounted for 70% or 0.47Mt of the 0.68Mt of cement imported into South Africa in the first nine months of 2020. The remaining 30% or 0.20Mt came from Pakistan.
Ukraine court upholds anti-dumping duties on cement from Russia, Belarus and Moldova
14 January 2021Ukraine: The District Administrative Court of Kiev has dismissed Belarusian Cement Company (BCC)’s claim against the government’s Interdepartmental Commission on International Trade for the cancellation of anti-dumping duties on cement. The duties on imported cement are 57% the value of goods from Belarus, 94% from Moldova and 115% from Russia. The commission introduced the tariffs in late May 2019 and they will expire in late May 2024.
The law firm representing third parties Dyckerhoff Cement Ukraine, HeidelbergCement Ukraine, Ivano-Frankivsk Ukraine and CRH subsidiary Podilsky Cement said "The court recognised the need to protect the violated rights of national cement producers in Ukraine from dumped imports of goods to Ukraine.” It added that the imports had caused ‘significant damage’ to national producers.
Steppe Cement updates on full-year 2020 performance
11 January 2021Kazakhstan: Steppe Cement increased its full-year sales by 1% year-on-year to US$73m in 2020 from US$72m in 2019. Its cement sales fell by 4% to 1.6Mt from 1.7Mt, and its exports rose by 30% to 0.2Mt. Domestic demand rose by 6% to 9.4Mt from 8.9Mt. Steppe Cement’s market share fell to 15%.
Kazakhstan’s overall cement exports rose by 25% in 2020 to 2.0Mt from 1.6Mt. Imports fell by 14% to 0.6Mt from 0.7Mt.
Rock Hard Cement says it will close for one month in Trinidad
05 January 2021Trinidad & Tobago: Rock Hard Cement says it will close during January 2021 in Trinidad due to alleged changes in government tariffs on imported cement. It hopes to reopen In February 2021, according to the Trinidad & Tobago Guardian newspaper. The company has published advertisements in local media warning of potential price rises of up to 80% in 2021. As well as changes to import costs the cement importer claims that the quantity of imported cement will be restricted to 75,000t/yr. The Ministry of Trade and Industry said it couldn’t comment on the matter as it is currently undergoing legal proceedings.
Georgia: Georgia imported 296,000t cement from Azerbaijan from January to October 2020, a decline of 20.2% year-on-year. Data from the Georgian National Statistics Office (Geostat) and the Trend News Agency also shows that cement imports for this period cost US$14.5m.
Philippine Tariff Commission challenges cement duty rise
28 December 2020Philippines: The Tariff Commission (TC) has said that it was unaware of a Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) order imposing higher-than-scheduled duties on imports of cement. The Manila Bulletin newspaper has reported that TC commissioner Ernesto Albano said that it was legally ‘impossible’ for rates to rise above the previously scheduled US$0.19/bag. The DTI order in December 2020 set a duty of US$0.20/bag in the second year of the three-year tariff scheme. Albano said, "The DTI cannot do that. The schedule has been set.” He added, “The industry should improve so the duty should go down."
The Bureau of Customs (BOC) has implemented the new rate imposed by the DTI.
Philippines cement import duty rises
09 December 2020Philippines: The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has raised the import duty per 40kg bag of cement to US$0.20 from US$0.19. The Manila Bulletin newspaper has reported that the department issued the administrative order following a petition from the Cement Manufacturers Association of the Philippines (CeMAP). The petition suggested a US$0.25/bag levy as an effective means to maintain domestic cement production. The association has blamed growing imports on a surplus in countries such as Vietnam.
The DTI previously imposed tariffs on imported cement for three year from October 2019 with a staggered reduction in the duty. However, the DTI said it would review the safeguard measure in order to modify the rate as it deemed necessary.
Mbeya Cement launches new pozzolana cement product
11 November 2020Tanzania: Mbeya Cement, part of LafargeHolcim Tanzania, has launched Lafarge Tembo Pozzi, a pozzolana-based cement product. It is intended to replace imports of fly ash, according to the Daily News newspaper. At present the country imports 40,000t/yr of fly ash for the construction industry.
National Cement enters Rwandan market
02 November 2020Rwanda: Kenya-based National Cement has begun selling its Simba brand cement on the Rwandan market. The New Times newspaper has reported that the company is aiming to compete against importers from further afield with cement produced at its Nakuru cement plant in Salgaa, Nakuru County in Kenya, thereby alleviating supply chain bottlenecks.
National Cement reportedly selected the market due to the “pace of development and infrastructure establishment,” and is offering its cement at a promotional price.
Philippines: The Department of Trade and Industry says that it is considering banning Bureau of Philippines Standards-certified companies’ cement from bearing the label ‘Made in the Philippines’ where it was produced in another country. The Cement Manufacturers Association of the Philippines has complained that the labels constitute false advertising.
Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said that any regulative action would follow a thorough review, but “offhand, if products are not really manufactured here, they cannot be labelled as ‘Made in the Philippines.’”