Bangladesh cement exports rise

Bangladesh manufacturers and exporters of cement, salt and stone have reported YoY growth of 46.33 per cent in the first eight months of FY2011-12 (July-February). Of these three items, cement accounted for the largest amount as over 200,000t is exported annually while volumes of salt and stone volumes amount to only a few thousand.

According to the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB), Bangladesh's manufacturers exported US$9.76m worth of cement, salt and stone in July-February 2011-12 compared to US$6.67m in the same period last year.

Bangladesh has fixed an export target of US$19.18m for the cement sector for 2011-12 (July-June) compared to US$18.63m in FY2010-11.

Exports of all three items have witnessed a sharp rise after India allowed Bangladesh a zero tariff for all goods last November. These items are mainly exported to the neighbouring country’s north-eastern states (also known as the ‘Seven Sister’ states).

The EPB said demand for Bangladeshi cement in the ‘Seven Sister’ states is very high as it is cheaper from products coming from other states. In terms of delivery time, it takes 3-4 days for a cement truck to be sent from West Bengal to Tripura, whereas imported from Bangladesh it can be delivered within 10 to 15 hours.