Govt considers using seized cement for housing

The Mexican government is looking for a way to take advantage of the 27,000 tons of cement that could be retained by customs under to litigation against the company Comercio para el Desarrollo Mexicano (CDM) due to alleged illegal importation. The Housing Commission of the Chamber of Deputies called on the Treasury Secretariat to use the seized cement cargo for the construction of housing in rural areas of the country.

Roberto Pedraza Martínez, chairman of the commission, said that this would be a good idea as the cement costs around half that sold in Mexico, "so in the worst case the government could pay that if it loses the litigation with the foreign companies." He added that storing the cement in warehouses at the port would be of no use to anyone.

"As occurs in almost all the customs conflicts where the Treasury has to make a decision, it is likely that these thousands of tons of cement will be stored and will go hard, without any efforts to negotiate or liberate the product for the benefit of millions of homes," said Pedraza Martínez.