Displaying items by tag: Bangladesh

Bangladesh: Production at Premier Cement’s new plants at Narayanganj and Chattogram has been delayed until November 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Mohammed Amirul Haque, managing director of the cement producer, said that the projects have been delayed due to the absence of some technical personnel from China and Denmark, according to the Daily Star newspaper. The units were originally scheduled to start commercial production in June 2020 but this is now expected to start in December 2020. Both plants have a combined budget of around US$150m. Denmark-based FLSmidth was reported to be supplying mills for the plants.

Bangladesh: Metrocem Cement says that it has contracted with US-based software specialist NURTech to “develop a unique AOS and IOS-based integrated software for Metrocem Cement. This will ensure smooth operation and alleviate complications, which in turn will benefit employee as well as customers.” Managing director Khandakar Rifat said that he looked forward to the fruits of this expansion of Metrocem Cement’s existing relationship with the supplier.

Bangladesh: Bashundhara Group has taken a loan of US$82.0, which it says will go towards the construction of a 4.0Mt/yr cement plant in eastern Bangladesh for a total investment of US$117m. The Daily Star newspaper has reported that the new plant will produce cement primarily for export to northeast India. Bashundhara Group’s two cement plants currently have the capacity to produce 5.1Mt/yr of its King Brand cement.

Bank Asia is the lead arranger for the syndicated loan, which it will provide along with Dhaka Bank, First Security Islami Bank, Pubali Bank, Social Islami Bank and United Commercial Bank. Full repayment is due in 2027.

Iran: Data from the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA) shows that cement producers exported 5.85Mt of cement in the first five months of the local 2021 financial year, which began on 20 March 2020. The value of cement exports fell by 52% year-on-year to US$128m from US$266m, according to the Tehran Times newspaper. Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan were the top destination for the exports. Cement was also sent to India, Russia, Qatar, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Armenia, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, China, and Oman.

In its 2020 financial year Iran exported a total of US$7.0bn-worth of building materials and produced 85Mt of cement against a domestic consumption of 65Mt.

Vietnam: The Vietnam National Cement Corporation (VICEM) says that total cement and clinker exports in the first eight months of 2020 were 23.9Mt, up by 16% year-on-year from 20.7Mt in the corresponding period of 2019. The total value of exports rose by 1.2% to US$882m from US$872m, corresponding to a price drop of 12% to US$36.9/t from US$42.1/t.

Saigon Online News has reported that the main source of demand growth is China’s burgeoning post-coronavirus lockdown construction market, where a 35% year-on-year increase in cement consumption in July 2020 has enabled Vietnamese producers and traders to undercut the cement prices of the newly streamlined domestic industry. China received 12.6Mt (53%) of Vietnam’s cement and clinker exports, followed by the Philippines with 4.5Mt (19%) and Bangladesh with 1.7Mt (7.1%).

Vietnam: Producers have reported a 5.4% fall in value of cement and clinker exports to US$732m in the first seven months of 2020 from US$774m in the corresponding period of 2019. Volumes increased by 11% to 19.5Mt from 17.6Mt. Dautu Online News has reported that Bangladesh, China and the Philippines were among import markets for Vietnamese cement.

The Ministry of Construction maintains its 2019 projection of 32Mt – 33Mt of cement and clinker exports in 2020.

Bangladesh: Cement producers imported US$760,000-worth of raw materials in the 2020 financial year which ended on 30 June 2020, down by 13% year-on-year from US$874,000 in the 2019 financial year. Clinker, calcareous stone, granulated blast furnace slag (GBFS) and gypsum imports totalled 18.6Mt, down by 11% from 21.0Mt, compared to annual growth of 15 - 20% since 2010.

The Daily Star newspaper has reported that this was due to decreased cement demand, with sales falling to 65,000t in April 2020 from 125,000t in March 2020 on account of the start of the nationwide coronavirus lockdown. Premier Cement managing director Amirul Islam said, “We are not getting the benefits we expected from the government. The sector’s capital is gradually running out, so all kinds of discretionary tax cuts are needed to save this industry.”

Bangladeshi cement producers import raw materials from Thailand, Vietnam and China.

Bangladesh: Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC) and Saudi Arabian-based Engineering Dimension International Investment (EDII) have formed a joint-venture called Saudi Bangla Integrated Cement in order to build a new integrated cement plant. The proposed unit will have a clinker production capacity of 12,000t/day, according to the Dhaka Tribune newspaper. It will be supplied with limestone from Meghalaya in India via a long conveyor belt. If realised the project is expected to create up to 700 direct and indirect jobs. Government-owned BCIC previously signed a partnership agreement with EDII in late 2018.

Vietnam: The Vietnam National Cement Corporation (VICEM) has reported that Vietnamese producers exported 13.6Mt of cement between 1 January 2020 and 31 May 2020, down by 1.4% year-on-year from 13.8Mt in the corresponding five months of 2019. Producers exported 7.07Mt of cement to China, up by 26% from 9.55Mt, 2.08Mt to the Philippines, down by 29% from 2.93Mt, and 1.36Mt to Bangladesh, down by 9.9% from 1.51Mt. The total value of exported cement fell by 14% to US$505m from US$590m.

Bangladesh: The Bangladesh Cement Manufacturers Association (BCMA) has suggested the removal a 3% non-refundable advance income tax (AIT) and a 3% import duty on raw materials, as well as the reduction of a US$5.88/t import duty on clinker by 40% to US$3.53/t. The Dhaka Tribune newspaper has reported that BCMA members are struggling to pay their dues due to the impacts of the coronavirus lockdown, which caused the sector a loss of US$353m between 21 March 2020 and 21 June 2020.

BCMA President Mohammed Kabir said, “To generate taxes and revenue from this sector, the government should save our businesses and meet our logical demands in the final budget. We are really frustrated that our demands were unaddressed in the proposed budget. Our working capital will dwindle if the government keeps charging the AIT.” He added, “If the government does not remove the 3% non-adjustable AIT, then at least it should be declared as adjustable tax.”