Bangladesh eyes cement imports from Viet Nam

Bangladesh has a huge requirement for cement and wants to import from Viet Nam, a visiting delegation from that country has said.

Bangladesh has a huge requirement for cement and wants to import from Viet Nam, a visiting delegation from that country has said.

Mohammed Amirul Haque, director of Premier Cement Co, said since there was a construction boom in Bangladesh, the demand for cement and clinker was high, but domestic production met only 15 per cent of it. It imported 10-15 million tonnes of cement a year at a cost of US$500 million, and this was forecast to double in the next few years, he told Dau Tu (Vietnam Investment Review).

Opportunity

Fazle Azim, chairman of Hong Kong’s Peakward Enterprises Co, which acted as a facilitator for the delegation, said the businesses represented on the trip accounted for 45-50 per cent of the country’s total cement and clinker demand.

Vietnamese enterprises should take full advantage of this opportunity to increase their exports to this promising market, he said.

Azim said the visit was expected to open up co-operation opportunities in not only the cement sector but also other industries.

However, exporters to Bangladesh faced risks if they were not fully conversant with the payment methods.

Peakward Enterprises Co has been facilitating cement and clinker exports from Viet Nam. This year it enabled Hoang Phat Vissai Group to ship 1.2 million tonnes of clinker worth more than $40 million to Bangladesh.

It said next year it planned to continue acting as an export intermediary for Hoang Phat Vissai and some other businesses.

It had also promoted export of clinker by Hoang Phat Vissai to Japan and other Asian countries.

Cam Pha Cement Co is another client whom it helped export cement to the Middle East.

With the Vietnamese cement market expected to see bitter competition in the next few years when supply outstrips domestic demand, the Ministry of Construction wants businesses to strengthen exports.

But cement firms are not very familiar with exports, with only a few like Hoang Phat Vissai, Cam Pha Cement, Viet Nam Cement Industry Corporation and Ha Long Cement having exported in the past.

Tags: Vietnam cement, Vietnam cement industry