Local Karachi cement exporters are considering ending procurement of coal from South Africa and exploring options to import it from a Muslim country.
In view of an ongoing investigation initiated by the International Trade Administration Commission (ITAC) on alleged dumping of Portland Cement from Pakistan on the application received from four leading South African cement makers, the local industry is considering shifting production process from South African coal to Indonesian coal.
To the surprise of Pakistani exporters, work on this application has been initiated without first verifying the basic facts and without even giving an opportunity to Pakistani exporters of being heard, sources in the cement industry said.
They added that immense political influence has been applied on the ITAC by the South African cement manufacturers and because of this, ITAC intends to wrap up the case by end January 2015 through imposition of a preliminary anti-dumping duty on import of Pakistani cement in South Africa.
Pakistan’s Ministry of Commerce has also raised this matter with South African counterpart in the meeting of Joint Trade Commission (JTC) of the two countries in South Africa held in the third week of this month, but so far no consensus has been reached between the two countries on this issue.
http://www.dawn.com/news/1147616/cement-makers-may-end-coal-import-from-south-africa
