Vietnam will end cement imports \'by 2010\'
Vietnam will no longer need to import cement by 2010 if production growth continues as expected.
Cement production is likely to reach 50m tonnes by 2010, by which time Vietnam will be able to cease all imports, according to information received by a Vietnamese construction official, reports Thanhnien News.
Vietnam's deputy minister of construction, Tony Van Nga, confirmed that domestic production currently totals 32m tonnes per year or approximately 85% of the country's total annual demand.
However, the minister for construction cautioned that domestic producers should revise their strategies for distributing supplies before Vietnam joins the World Trade Organisation (WTO), to ensure the market becomes more balanced and competitive.
Following the completion of Vietnam's last bilateral market access negotiations with Mexico and the United States, WTO membership should become possible by the end of 2006.
The remaining issues preventing membership, foreign ownership rights and excise duty on spirits and beers, are currently being discussed.
