Reports from the ministry showed that the total consumption of cement and clinker, two key construction material products.The cement industry also exported about 13.99 million tons, nearly completing the milestone annual export target of 14-15 million tons, despite fierce competition from Thailand and China and disadvantages in tax rate and export prices.
Construction material market keeps steady in first five months of 2018
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The country produced 257 million sq.m of granite tile, 5.3 million construction ceramics products, and 2.45 billion non-baked bricks, representing respective annual increases of 9 percent, 10 percent and 11 percent.
The ceramic tile volume also reached 416 million square meters, 4 per cent higher than the same period last year, and sanitary ware production reached 9.9 million units, a year-on-year growth of 4 per cent.
Prices of steel billet for production fluctuated at US$525-530 per ton, reducing $15 per cent from the beginning of last month. In the third quarter of the year, the steel billet price rose $90 per ton in comparison with the second quarter.
The average capacity of the domestic steel sector has been at 70 per cent to avoid high inventory.
According to the Vietnam Steel Association, Vietnamese steel producers are still facing pressure from imported steel. In the first eight months of the year, imported steel reached 13.5 million tons worth some $7 billion, reducing 22 per cent in terms of quantity but reporting a 3.8 per cent increase in terms of value, in comparison with the same period last year.
In addition, the trade defense measures on some steel products of coated steel, alloyed steel and steel bar have helped reduce imports.
Local steel producers, therefore, need to keep a close control on the quality of imported steel to make the market healthy.
Many domestic steel producers have been actively investing in modern technologies and expanding markets to improve their products’ quality to attract foreign customers.
At present, the Ministry of Construction is directing the research and completion of a plan on exploration, exploitation and use of minerals for construction material production by 2025, with a vision towards 2035, to submit for the Prime Minister’s approval later this quarter.
The ministry will continue implementing Decision No. 452/QD-TTg issued by the Prime Minister on April 12, 2017 approving the proposal to boost treatment and use of ash, slag and gypsum discharged from thermal power plants, chemical and fertilizer plants for production of building materials and for use in construction projects.
