Vietnam exports forecast to rise by 500,00t

Vietnam exports forecast to rise by 500,00t
28 January 2011


Vietnam will export 1.5Mt of cement this year, an increase of 500,000t over last year, according to the Vietnam Cement Association.

Twelve new cement plants would become operational this year, with a capacity to supply 10.18Mta, said the head of the association’s secretariat, Nguyen Van Diep. This would increase the total capacity of the domestic industry to 60Mt, Diep said.

Since domestic demand has been forecast to rise 10 per cent over last year to about 55-56Mt, most of the additional capacity would be exported, he said.

In an attempt to find new export markets, the Ministry of Construction has urged cement manufacturers to look for potential markets in Bangladesh, the Middle East and Africa.

It has also worked with the association to help cement producers nationwide apply more advanced technology to reduce input costs.

Cement prices have remained stable since the end of last year, at VND900,000-VND1m (US$46-51) per tonne in the north, and VND1.2-1.3m (US$61.5-66.5) in the south, Diep said. However, prices could be affected by rising electricity and coal prices, he cautioned.
Published under Cement News