Cement imports are undercutting cement produced by AfriSam Swaziland in price and present a risk to the viability of the domestic cement producer, according the Times of Swaziland.

In a move to try and protect the cement industry, the Ministry of Commerce Industry and Trade once commissioned a study to find out if the industry needed protrection. It was commissioned by the then Director of Industry Phumelele Dlamini, currently CEO of the Swaziland Investment Promotion Authority (SIPA).

Cheap imports have also affected the market in South Africa and the country’s International Trade Administration Commission (ITAC) imposed anti-dumping duties, ranging from 14-77 per cent, on Pakistani Portland cement, earlier in the year. As a result, the introduction of such duties saw the imports fall by 30 per cent.