Gypsum industry news
New Zealand to review building materials import duties
07 November 2013New Zealand: The New Zealand government is considering cutting import duties on home building materials to help reduce rising house prices in the country.
"Building material costs are too high and can be as much as 30% more in New Zealand than in Australia according to the Productivity Commission. The industry needs a shake-up through increased competition and greater transparency to ensure kiwi families can get access to more fairly priced building materials and homes," said Housing Minister Nick Smith in a statement.
Smith and Commerce Minister Craig Foss released an options paper outlining possible measures to curb the cost of house construction. The paper said that 19% of the output of the home construction industry was made up of imported content. Tariffs notionally still applied to most items used in housing construction, such as wallboard, insulation, timber products, steel and aluminum joinery, particle board and roofing materials, but adjusted tariffs - the duty as a percentage of the value - were small and diminishing due to free trade agreements. Submissions to the options paper close on 18 December 2013.
New Zealand has imposed anti-dumping duties on imports of plasterboard from Thailand since 2011, wire nails from China since 2011 and reinforcing steel bar and coil from Thailand since 2004.
Border opening causes sudden shift in gypsum prices
22 June 2012Pakistan/India: The price of gypsum has increased by about US$1.50/t for local consumers after the opening of Wagha border, because mine contactors are exporting gypsum to neighbouring India in massive quantities. Industry sources said that if exports of gypsum continued unchecked the local cement manufacturers, who are the major users of this commodity, will suffer the most due to its constant hike in rates, which may impact the price of cement.
In India the price change has been in the opposite direction and more pronounced, with prices falling from US$35/t to US$24/t on a glut in supply.
An official of the Pakistani Punjab Mines & Minerals Department, on the condition that his name not to be mentioned, questioned the prudence of allowing raw gypsum exports. "We are monitoring export of gypsum and trying to approach the cement industry, which is the biggest user of this mine. In several meetings with the representatives of the cement industry we have raised the issue of unregulated gypsum exports to India through the Wahga border route," the official said.
In the 2010-2011 financial year, which ended on 30 June 2012, Pakistan produced around 0.68Mt of gypsum, with its part of Punjab producing 0.49Mt of the total.
Indian anti-dumping duty for gypsum boards
11 June 2012India: The Revenue Department of India has imposed an antidumping duty of up to US$51.7/m3 on the import of certain type of gypsum boards from China, Indonesia, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates in order to protect domestic players from cheaper shipments.The duty will remain in force for six months.
The restrictive duty was levied after it was recommended by the Directorate General of Antidumping and Allied Duties (DGAD). In its probe the DGAD had concluded that, "the product had been exported to India from the subject countries below associated normal values and the domestic industry had suffered material injury."
The DGAD conducted the probe after a complaint from Saint-Gobain Gyproc India which accounts for about 80% of the domestic production of India's gypsum boards.
During January-December 2010 (the investigation period) imports from the four countries had increased by 194% per cent compared to 2007-08. India has initiated 275 anti-dumping investigations between 1992 and March 2012, involving over imports from more than 40 countries.