Pakistan has become among 25 countries which export cement to United State of America. For the first time, 50,000 tones cement was exported to USA in June and now the second export order of 37,500 tons of cement is on the way to USA.
Farid Fazal, the Executive Director of DG Khan Cement Company has said that the third consignment would be sent to USA next month. Pakistan is among the few countries of word, the cement of which is of the best quality.
The Executive Director of DG Khan Cement Company said that they were in contact with the buyers in London, France and Germany and soon the cement would be exported to those countries.
He said, We have lots of surplus cement and as the supply is much greater than the demand, manufacturers are not utilizing their capacity, we?need to explore new markets. He said that US President has announced a package under which all mega infrastructure projects including freeways, bridges and roads which are about a century old, will be rebuilt or will be given facelifts.
Farid Fazal said that the USA is big market and due to the strict environment laws, it was very difficult to put up cement factories and their requirements of cement are met by imports from Mexico, Canada and Turkey.
The Executive Director of DGKCC said, It took us 12 months to get the technical certification for supply of cement to the markets in the USA from TXDOT, NCDOT, SCDOT and LODOT. After the good response our cement received in Houston. I was invited to make a presentation at the International Cement Conference INTETCEM in Houston which generated a great number of inquiries and prospective customers.
At present, the cement producing capacity of Pakistan is 65 million tons and local market absorbs just 40 million tons and 4 to 5 million tons of cement is exported.
At the time when the country is facing acute shortage of foreign exchange reserves, our best quality cement has big potential of earning heavy foreign exchange through the export to developed countries. ?