Zimbabwe cement producers seek tariffs on imports
Zimbabwe cement producers want the government to impose tariffs on imports, including from Nigeria’s Dangote Cement saying this would prevent the collapse of the local industry and save jobs. The South African three cement manufacturers, Lafarge cement Zimbabwe, Pretoria Portland Cement Zimbabwe and Chinese owned Sino cement which have a combined installed capacity of 1.85 million tonnes. “The Cement and Concrete Institute of Zimbabwe (CCIZ) said in a paper circulated at Chamber of Mines Annual meeting in the resort town of Victor Falls that cement from Dangote’s unit in Zambia, as well as imports from South Africa, Mozambique and Botswana were hurting the local industry,” reported by Reuters. “The local industry cannot compete with imports leading to potential closure of businesses,” said CCIZ. CCIZ said only local producers should be allowed to import cement after getting approval from the government. But a strong dollar coupled with high labour, electricity, fuel and transport costs has made Zimbabwe’s cement more expensive than imports from neighbouring countries. Zimbabwe’s cement market is growing at an annual rate of 2-3 per cent and manufacturers are expected to produce 1.17 million tonnes this year.
Tags : ALLIED