Displaying items by tag: Import
LafargeHolcim to import 0.25Mt of clinker into Argentina
17 April 2017Argentina: Holcim Argentina plans to import about 0.25Mt of clinker with a value of US$16.3m from May 2017 to April 2018. The product will arrive in six separate vessels carrying 41,800t each, according to the El Cronista newspaper. The cement producer says that the imports are intended to cover local demand that it can’t meet with its own production base. The company’s director Carlos Moreno added that the price of imported clinker is ‘competitive.’ The subsidiary of LafargeHolcim has a cement production of 4.8Mt/yr from plants in Campana in Buenos Aires, Malagueño in Córdoba, Puesto Viejo in Jujuy and Las Heras in Mendoza.
Caribbean Cement granted permission to import cement
12 April 2017Jamaica: The government has granted Caribbean Cement permission to import cement from Trinidad & Tobago in order to resolve local supply issues. The cement producer will procure cement from its subsidiary Trinidad Cement, according to the Jamaica Observer newspaper. Caribbean Cement has reported technical issues with its packing plant which have led to it being unable to support the local retail market. It has also suspended all exports.
Bahrain stops cement imports from Saudi Arabia
10 April 2017Bahrain: Cement companies in Bahrain have stopped importing cement from Saudi Arabia following a change in export laws that has increased the price. United Cement Company chief executive Faisal Shehab said that the four cement companies in Bahrain used to import a total of 25,000t/week, according to the Gulf Daily News. In March 2017 the law changed in Saudi Arabia allowing producers to export cement. However, the law has specified that companies should repay government subsidies and this has increased the price of exports to Bahrain by nearly 50%. The imported cement represents about half of Bahrain requirements. Previously, Bahrain imported cement from Saudi Arabia under a special arrangement set up in 2009. Bahrain producers are now seeking alternative imports from the UAE.
Workers at CimGabon call for ban on imports
04 April 2017Gabon: The workers union at CimGabon have held a press conference calling for state intervention in the local cement sector. They blamed ‘uncontrolled’ imports of cement for threatening the closure of the producer’s grinding plant at Owendo, according to the Binto Media Group. The calls for state action follow the suspension of investment by Ciments de l'Afrique (CIMAF) on an upgrade project at the plant. In 2014 the company shut down its clinker plant at Estuaire and its cement grinding plant at Franceville. Germany’s HeidelbergCement also has a stake in the producer.
Cement imports to Rwanda drop by nearly half in 2016
27 March 2017Rwanda: The Ministry of Trade, Industry and East African Affairs has said that the value of cement imports dropped by nearly half to US$42m in 2016 from US$80m in 2015. The development comes as the government looks for ways to strengthen capacity for local production to meet growing housing demand and reduce expenses on imports, according to the New Times newspaper. Local producer Cimerwa, a subsidiary of South Africa’s PPC, is currently building a new 0.6Mt/yr cement plant in Bugarama, Rusizi, that will be ready for production in mid-2018. It has also called for imports of cement to the country to be restricted.
PPC Zimbabwe boss blasts cement imports from Zambia
20 March 2017Zimbabwe: PPC Zimbabwe’s managing director Kelibone Masiyane has said that duty on cement imports has done little to discourage the market. The government introduced a 25% duty on every 100t of imported cement in 2016, according to the NewsDay newspaper. He singled out imports from Zambia as well as those from South Africa, Mozambique and Botswana.
“In addition to liquidity challenges, we continued to face pressure from cheap imports. Government has tried to assist by introducing duty on imported cement, but the reality on the ground is that imports continue to pour in, particularly from Zambia,” said Masiyane. Despite this he added that PPC Zimbabwe was confident that the local economy would pick up in 2017 supported by infrastructure projects.
The Cement and Concrete Institute of Zimbabwe lobbied the Ministry of Industry and Commerce to ban imported cement in 2016. In a paper it suggested including a protection tariff to equate the landed price of imported cement to the cost of the local product, granting of import licences to local producers, cancelling or reviewing all issued permits that are circulating in the country and lowering duty on raw materials.
Brunei modifies cement import process
07 March 2017Brunei: The Energy and Industry Department at the Prime Minister’s Office (EIDPMO) has released information on its new policy for importing cement and the connected application process following the abolition of the previous method on 1 January 2017. Officials say that the changes are intended to open up the cement market in the country, increase competition, offer more market choice and reduce the price of cement amongst other aims, according to the Borneo Bulletin newspaper. Cement importers are required to register, their companies need to be at least 70% locally owned and applications will last two years. Personal allowances for citizens bringing cement across the border will be limited to two bags per vehicle.
Pakistan: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has found that Zeal Pak Cement dodged paying US$19.7m to the authorities via tax evasion and money laundering schemes. As well as underpaying tax on imports of cement the cement producer also sent money to Iran, according to the National Herald Tribune newspaper. The FBR was alerted to the malpractice mid-way through importing a 86,500t consignment of Ordinary Portland Cement that was subsequently impounded. Zeal Pak Cement is also accused of fabricating false invoices and other documents.
Cement production in Kyrgyzstan hit by imports since joining the Eurasian Economic Union
27 February 2017Kyrgyzstan: Cement produced in Kyrgyzstan has become ‘uncompetitive’ since the country joined the Eurasian Economic Union. The State Committee for Industry, Energy and Mining has blamed this on high volumes of imports from Kazakhstan, according to the Tazabek newspaper. The country has five integrated cement plants.
Clinker imports to Nepal rise rapidly in last half year
21 February 2017Nepal: Data from the Trade and Export Promotion Centre (TEPC) has shown that the value of imports of clinker has increased by nearly six times year-on-year to US$84m in the first six months of the Nepalese fiscal year to mid-January 2017 from US$14m in the same period in the previous year. Dhurba Thapa, president of the local Cement Manufacturers Association, told the Kathmandu Post that the surge in clinker imports was due to a market correction following a ban on exports imposed by India in the previous year. He added that imports of clinker from India account for around 35 – 40% of Nepal’s total consumption.