In an effort to help alleviate supply shortages, the nation’s builders last month called on the Commerce Department to eliminate barriers to imports of cement from Mexico.
With record new home sales for May, and Florida builders reporting difficulties meeting their construction schedules, the National Association of Home Builders urged the Administration to temporarily eliminate the very high anti-dumping duties imposed on imports of Mexican cement.
“The U.S. has long relied on imports of cement to supplement limited domestic production capacity, and as the economic recovery proceeds, demand for this critical building material continues to grow,” said NAHB Executive Vice President and CEO Jerry Howard.
Mexico is the most logical source for additional imports. A cement shipment from Asia takes an average of 44 days to get to a U.S. port. In contrast, a shipment from Mexico takes only four days, allowing more flexibility, efficiency and timeliness in delivery to the final end user. Unfortunately, anti-dumping duties of $57 per ton from that country make this option economically infeasible.
A report released this month by the Portland Cement Association finds evidence of cement shortages in 23 states.