South Africa: The International Trade Administration Commission (ITAC) is investigating claims by cement producers that cement from Pakistan is being dumped in the Southern African Customs Union (SACU), of which Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia and Swaziland are also members.
Afrisam, Lafarge, NPC Cimpor and PPC allege that bagged cement from Pakistan has been dumped at a 48% lower price than is the normal value in Pakistan. In 2013 imports from Pakistan accounted for just under 99% of all cement imports into SACU. According to statistics released by XA International Trade Advisors, annual imports from Pakistan alone were 1.1Mt in 2013.
Managing Director for PPC's cement activities, Richard Tomes, claimed that the dumping by Pakistan led to a decline in sales volumes, profit, output and the market share of producers in the region. He claimed that the effect of dumping included negative effects on cash flow and reduced levels of staffing in SACU cement producers, with the number of staff employed in the SACU cement industry decreasing by 15% between 2010 and 2013.
