15 Pak cos apply for cement export to India

The government today said it has received 15 applications so far from Pakistan seeking license from Bureau of Indian Standards to export cement to India.

"These applications are at different stages of processing in the Bureau of Indian Standards. The cement to be imported from Pakistan cannot be quantified at this stage and will be open to market forces," Minister of state for commerce Jairam Ramesh said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha.

The BIS Certification Marks Licence is mandatory for any cement to be imported into India.

Pakistan's cement manufacturers have evinced interest to export cement to India. India has agreed to expedite the process of importing cement and put on fast track completion of certification formalities.

India is facing a shortage of 10 million tonne of the raw material and Pakistan can bridge this gap given its surplus stocks.