Vietnamese cement prices must remain stable

Deputy Minister of Construction Tong Van Nga urged businesses to strive to maintain stable prices of cement through the end of this year.

Vietnamese cement producers are facing difficulties as the price of clinker and other imported materials are increasing. As a result, a series of clinker grinding stations in southern provinces will be likely closed by the end of this month, reported a cement conference held in Ha Noi on Tuesday. The country is expected to face a serious shortage of about 2Mt of cement this year.

Next month, the Ministry of Construction, the Viet Nam Cement Corporation and the relevant ministries and agencies will discuss way to define cement prices, Deputy Minister Nga said. He revealed that his ministry has asked the Government to reduce the import tax on clinker purchased from ASEAN
countries from 20 percent at present to 15 per cent and then to 10 per cent in early 2005; and the present tax rate of 25 percent on imported clinker from non-ASEAN countries to 20 per cent in 2005.