Cement imports threaten to push out local industries

[wanzueni]

a free market economy is good for those who exploit kenyans let them face competition and reduce the prices,and no coal pollution you hyenas, talking like mutua replacing trees with stones, kenyan news are depressing.

[kijijikubwa]

switching to coal=more pollution!! Simp-ly place a HUGE tariff on cement from those arab misrians let them trade with their fellow towel heads!!!

[goo1358]

kijijikubwa, i wish business was that easy!!! Egypt is part of comesa, if we put tarriffs on their cement they will retaliate and do the same on our tea. they did it once in the 90's. Bill Clinton put tariffs on European steel and European union retaliated by doing the same to US products. Bill backed down. the only way around this is to cut costs

[kijijikubwa]

that is a huge part of the problem when only dealing with limited trading opportunitires,what the misrians are doing is not trade but simply dumping their shitty products where there just happens to be a huge market.Maybe it's time to find other tea buyers and stiffen those tarrifs

[goo1358]

i agree with you that we have limited trading opportunities. The way i look at it we need to diversify to other industries . 75% of kenyans are employed in the agricultural sector. In the long run Global warming will destroy tea industry. the largest producers of tea: 1) China, India, 3) Kenya. BTW Brook Bond sells tea in US as LIPTON. we need to industrialize and move away from agriculture why?

[goo1358]

we need to industrialize and move away from agriculture why? ask any of your friends at random their dream career/ what they do for a living. see how many people want to be FARMERS..... we eat to live but the number of FARMERS and FARM LAND is disappearing by the day. that is why developed nations like US,JAPAN,UK import a lot of their food and employ GM foods. Kenya is moving in the same direction,unfortunately.

[kijijikubwa]

not completely move away from agriculture but rather oracctice modern farming methods,as it currently stands lots of farmers simply underuse their lands eg by only growing a single crop or relying on rainwater which we all know is not very reliable.Farming ought to be a year round thing ie differnt crops for different times of the year and the surplus can always be exported and crops for bio diesel can also be grown.Industrialize and also modernize agriculture.

[karuitha]

oh no, now we want to kill our own very successful cement industry.

[siasabora]

on the other hand K, the local cement is hiking building costs like crazy...a bag goes for 820/=. I say flood the market and let the customers get a choice! Bamburi cemnet monopoly in the mkt has spoilt it....