Displaying items by tag: Government

Togo: The Ministry of Commerce has denied that it has authorised a change in the price of cement. In a press release it confirmed that the ex-factory prices it set in late October 2021 remained in force, according to 24heureinfo. It reminded cement traders of this and provided a 24-hour telephone number for consumers to report any abnormal trading practices.

The ministry was responding to reports on social media channels about an increase to the price of cement. CimTogo said recently that it had adjusted its price structure in mid-September 2023 but not breached the price limits set by the government.

India: Ratings agency Crisil has forecast all-Indian cement consumption growth of 11% year-on-year to 440Mt during the current financial year, which ends on 31 March 2024. Crisil attributed this to a 51% year-on-year rise in infrastructure spending, to US$6.75bn throughout the year. Press Trust of India News has reported that infrastructure projects currently account for 30% of all cement consumption.

Mexico: Holcim Mexico says that its supply of cement to the government’s Tren Maya railway project is 170,000t/month. This corresponds to 50 – 60% of its total production volumes. Local press has reported that construction of the 1500km-long Tren Maya railway will consume 1Mm³ of concrete. Holcim supplied its cement for Sections 1 – 3 of the line between 2020 and 2022. It is currently supplying Section 5, which is 50% complete. The cement comes from the company’s Orizaba, Veracruz, plant; its Macuspana, Tabasco, plant and its Mérida, Yucatán, plant.

Holcim Mexico’s infrastructure development manager Fernando Roldan said "Our participation has been a challenge, but the relationship we have with the suppliers and with the construction companies in charge of the railway has allowed us to meet the requirements."

South Korea/Egypt: The South Korean government plans to implement a 72% import duty on white cement from Egypt. Yonhap News has reported that the Korea Trade Commission (KTC) recommended the duty as an anti-dumping measure, following its investigation into the impacts of Egyptian imports on the South Korean white cement industry. This consists of Union Corporation’s 200,000t/yr Chongju white cement plant in North Chungcheong.

South Korea consumed 100,000t of white cement in 2022. Egyptian white cement commanded a 10% (10,000t) market share. The domestic cement industry complained to the KTC against Royal El Minya Cement and Albatros International Cement Trading in March 2023. An additional probe will now follow to assess the correct rate for the duty.

Europe: The Environmental Coalition on Standards (ECOS) has welcomed the EU’s new Empowering Consumers Directive. Under the directive, EU member states must enact laws preventing companies from labelling their products with climate claims based on offsetting. ECOS called the law a ‘significant measure against greenwashing.’ It called on the EU to further ensure that products neither rely on carbon credits, nor on contributions to sustainability projects, in calculating their impacts.

ECOS programme manager Elisa Martellucci said “The EU has taken aim at greenwashing. Climate neutrality claims based only on carbon offsetting are ambiguous and misleading for consumers because they are not linked to concrete efforts to combat the climate crisis. Instead, they rely on flawed carbon accounting practices that ‘write off’ greenhouse gas emissions. The amazing carbon emissions vanishing act is many companies’ dream – but emissions do not magically disappear. Policymakers have taken a strong stance against this deceptive practice.”

Malaysia: A court has granted Associated Pan Malaysia Cement (APMC) the right to evict Buddhist monks from the Gunung Kanthan caves monastery in Hulu Kinta, Perak. The land is part of a site where APMC has leased 146 hectares of land for limestone extraction. New Straits Times News has reported that the producer operates quarries in Zones A and B of the site, but has yet to commence extraction from Zones C and D. Local authorities had previously given assurance that mining operations ‘would not disturb’ the monastery.

Monks from the Thudong tradition established the Gunung Kanthan caves monastery across two caves in Gunung Kanthan hill in the early 20th century. Today, it contains numerous artefacts and works of art.

Uruguay: The government has declared void its tender for offers for Cementos del Plata, the cement business of state-owned Administración Nacional de Combustibles, Alcohol y Portland (ANCAP). Montevideo Portal News has reported that no bids for the business were forthcoming before the end of the tender period on 12 September 2023. Cementos del Plata has debts of US$33m and made a loss of US$20m in 2022. It expects its losses to increase by 25% to US$25m in 2023. ANCAP president Alejandro Stipanicic said that the outcome marked the close of the latest stage in the efforts to rescue the business, but that “The search for a solution will not cease."

Stipanicic said “Perhaps in Uruguay we overestimated it. Perhaps in Uruguay we wanted to believe that we had something that was worth a lot, but the value of things is not set by those who own them, it is set by those who want something. That price is clearly less than zero." He added "Today is a sad day for ANCAP, because today the anguish of many good people working in the Portland cement business saw the illusion of having a clear and convincing future frustrated."

Ghana: The Ghanaian government has ceased to issue permits for new cement plants anywhere in the country. Ghana News Agency has reported that the government enacted the policy in order to ensure the sustainable and responsible growth of Ghana’s cement industry, according to George Dawson-Ahmoah, CEO of the Chamber of Cement Manufacturers, Ghana (COCMAG). Dawson-Ahmoah added that COCMAG is collaborating with the Ministry of Trade and Industry to develop optimal environment, safety and cement quality standards, and to combat unfair trade practices where they arise.

Russia: A court has accepted a request by the Prosecutor General’s Office to drop a claim for the appropriation of Russian assets of Germany-based Heidelberg Materials by the Russian government. The assets include shares in cement producers HeidelbergCement Rus and Shale Cement Plant Cesla, as well as minerals producers Gurovo-Beton and Syryevaya Kompaniya.

A lawyer for the prosecutor’s office said “The state's interests can be protected by other lawful means.”

Heidelberg Materials suspended new investments in its Russian business on 10 March 2022. The Prosecutor General’s Office subsequently requested its expropriation, following which a court froze the assets in August 2023. Interfax News has reported that representatives of Heidelberg Materials’ Russian business then made an undertaking to the Russian government, according to which they would maintain their prices, production volumes and number of employees.

South Korea: The Korean Railway Workers’ Union called a four-day strike of its 13,000 members across South Korea on 14 September 2023. Reuters has reported that the union is seeking higher pay, improved working conditions and the expansion of bullet train services into South Seoul. The Ministry of Transport predicts that total cargo haulage will drop by 53 - 79%. The Korean Cement Association (KCA) said that a protracted strike would disrupt cement production. The industry is 40% reliant on rail transport.

A representative from a KCA member said “We have secured some inventory in preparation for the strike, but it's not a lot. If the strike lengthens, we will have to convert to land transport, which will drive up costs and hit profitability."