The Taichung-based property developer Shining Group's (鄉林集團) chairman Lai Cheng-i (賴正鎰) said a gravel shortage would not affect the company's ongoing projects, but suggested that the government reopen extraction from local sites or riverbeds, or begin importing gravel from other countries such as Vietnam to prevent gravel companies from pushing up their prices.
"Taiwan has sufficient gravel resources ... the rocketing prices have been caused by local gravel companies that have been hoarding gravel and forcing up the prices on tight supply," Lai said yesterday, when asked about China's ban on gravel exports to Taiwan.
China halted shipments to Taiwan earlier this month and an estimation made by the Ministry of Economic Affairs shows that Taiwan will need to find around 12 million cubic meters of gravel by the end of this year to make up the shortfall if China continues its ban.
Lai said the average price of gravel was less than NT$400 per cubic meter a few years ago, but now it costs between NT$500 and NT$600 per cubic meter.
contingency
The ministry said on Wednesday that it would put in place a set of contingency measures next month to deal with the gravel shortage.
Beginning next month, the government would allow gravel to be shipped in from the Philippines, the ministry said, adding that it was offering incentives to encourage greater and more diversified imports from countries other than China and the Philippines.
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