According to the Department of Building Materials (Ministry of Construction), last year, cement consumption in the domestic market decreased due to the impact of Covid-19, when many provinces and cities had to implement social distancing to prevent, anti-epidemic. In that context, cement enterprises have promoted consumption through export channels, causing a sudden increase in the output of cement and clinker exports in 2021. Specifically, the output of cement and clinker for the whole year of 2021 will reach more than 45 million tons, worth nearly 1.8 billion USD, the average export price is about 39 USD/ton. In which, clinker exports account for a much larger proportion than cement.

Cement production needs to be sustainable

Previously, in 2020, Vietnam exported 38 million tons of cement and clinker, earning 1.46 billion USD. Export results exceeded expectations, "saved" the cement industry from the slump, achieving 2% growth. There is always a big gap between domestic and export cement consumption, with the ratio of 70 - 30% of total consumption, respectively. However, in recent years, this gap has gradually narrowed. In 2021, this rate is 58 - 42%.

It can be seen that the domestic market - which is the main consumption area of the cement industry - is slowing down. Meanwhile, import demand increased sharply, especially from the markets of China, Bangladesh...

With the goal of restricting the export of non-renewable resources, according to Decree 101/2021/ND-CP, the clinker export tax is expected to increase from 5% to 10% from January 1, 2023 in order to limit exports. mineral.

Accordingly, the Ministry of Finance has proposed the Government to increase the export tax on clinker from the current 5% to 10%. Although promoting the export of cement and clinker can help the cement industry take advantage of domestic production capacity, this is not a long-term and sustainable solution because the production process of these two products is mainly based on the domestic production capacity. on the exploitation and use of non-renewable resources. In addition, the increase in exports will deplete domestic resources, causing many negative impacts on the environment in the mining process, especially when producing cement and clinker in Vietnam using electricity at low prices. . A representative of the Vietnam Cement Association expressed, if the clinker export tax is increased from 5% to 10%, the export possibility is difficult because the price fluctuates constantly and sometimes drops very low, so the cement industry will be very difficult.

However, the Center for Analysis of SSI (SSI Research) believes that a 5% increase in export tax will not have much impact on Vietnam's export output. In the next few years, SSI Research expects domestic capacity to increase by 10 -15%. Along with the deceleration of the export channel, it will lead to stronger competition in the domestic market. This is especially true in the North and Central regions, where new projects are the most and have a higher export rate.

Mr. Pham Van Bac - Director of the Department of Building Materials - information, in the plan, in early 2022, the Ministry of Construction will send a written recommendation to businesses and the Vietnam Cement Association for corrective measures. , regulated in clinker export. Businesses need to consider and calculate that by 2023, if the CO2 content in cement production is as high as today, businesses will have to pay higher tax rates... These problems show that cement businesses To survive and develop, bamboo shoots must aim for green and sustainable production, reducing the risk of affecting the environment.

Lan Anh