CEMENT INDUSTRY CAN APPLY FOR PROTECTION FROM CHEAP IMPORTS, SAYS ITAC
On Monday the breakfast Show spoke to the Cement Institute MD, Bryan Perrie, who said that SA businesses were being undercut by 40-50% because of cheaper imports from Pakistan, Vietnam, and China.
Kieno Kammies on Tuesday spoke to the commissioner at the International Trade Administration Commission of South Africa (Itac) Meluleki Nzimande about calls to regulate the cement industry in South Africa, in terms of tariffs on imported cement.
The commission ensures fair trade and controlling imports and exports with regard to international conventions as well as environmental health safety regulations.
Nzimande said the cement import issue is not new.
“When Pakistan began exporting large quantities of cement to South Africa 5 years ago, the local industry applied to Itec for anti-dumping duties to be imposed. This was done and the margins were quite significant and Pakistani imports reduced significantly, said Meluleki Nzimande.
Now that imports are coming in from other countries such as Vietnam, the same instruments can be implemented, he says, if it can be proved it has been brought in at dumped prices.
The broader ‘safe-guard’ instruments can also be used, says Nzimande, which is protection from the world at a global level if conditions for implementation are met.
He recommends the industry submits an application. It takes between 10 and 12 months to implement.
Deon Kruger Senior Lecturer in the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Johannesburg also spoke to Kieno Kammies about the Impact of Imported cement on major construction projects.
He discussed the potential for the deterioration of housing and infrastructure that might have been built with cheaper, but unregulated-quality imported cements.
He pointed out that the quality of imported cements was unevenly monitored and not subject to the controls imposed by local cements in terms of the SANS standards. They could thus be of inferior quality, putting infrastructure at risk.http://www.capetalk.co.za/articles/358250/cement-industry-can-apply-for-protection-from-cheap-imports-says-itac
