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| Steel from discarded vehicles is collected in a village in the northern province of Bac Ninh. A new standard will be applied in June to limit the import of low-quality steel products. — VNS Photo Truong Vi |
HA NOI (VNS) — Viet Nam will apply the QCVN07 standard starting in June in order to raise the competitiveness of domestically produced steel and limit the import of low-quality steel products.
The statement was made by Vu Van Dien, deputy director of the directorate for Standards, Metrology and Quality.
The move aims to reduce the quantity of cheap steel products imported from China, as well as outdated equipment and machines, which increase environmental pollution, Dien said at a seminar yesterday.
Also at the event was Nguyen Huu Truong, an official at the Viet Nam Standard and Quality Institute, who said the national standard would set out clear technical requirements for construction steel sold on the Vietnamese market.
"All organisations and individuals involved in steel production, import or distribution would have to meet these requirements," he stressed.
Both locally made and imported steel reinforced concrete must be stamped with the new standards to be sold in Viet Nam.
The officials emphasised that effectively applying the national standard required strict compliance by steel makers, importers and traders.
If this were accomplished, they predicted, the move would improve steel quality in a transparent manner – improving construction projects and creating favourable conditions for local steel producers.
Annually, Viet Nam imports about 700,000-800,000 tonnes of this kind of steel and uses about 3.6 to 3.8 million tonnes for construction.
Pham Chi Cuong, chairman of the Viet Nam Steel Association, approved of the new standard but said steel businesses should have more time to prepare to meet it.
Many producers found it difficult to sell their products, he pointed out, and many companies were suffering from losses and needed more time to reduce their inventories.
The association asked the Ministry of Industry and Trade and Ministry of Science and Technology to delay applying the standard until 2015. — VNS