How cement imports are choking local producers
The Concrete Institute wants Itac to impose temporary restrictions on cement imports to allow recovery and to save jobs
Cheaper cement imports are hurting the local cement industry which is already taking strain from years of weak demand because of low infrastructure investment and an ailing construction industry. As a result the industry’s representative body wants International Trade Administration Commission (Itac) to impose tariffs to curb the imports. The Concrete Institute, which represents cement makers PPC, AfriSam, Lafarge, Sephaku and Natal Portland Cement, says Itac should also consider a total ban of imports for a limited period. The institute provides a range of services in concrete to the construction industry, including acting as an independent body representative of the cement, concrete and broader construction industry, to interact effectively with the government and regulatory bodies. “The imports are a big problem. That is why we are busy preparing an application to the International Trade Administration Commission,” the institute’s MD Bryan Perrie says. When the imports started, t...
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