Chitra Kumar Channel NewsAsia 4 Feb 14;
SINGAPORE: The government will release the national granite stockpile from Wednesday to main contractors who have on-going projects that require granite for concreting works.
This comes after a temporary disruption in the supply of granite from Indonesia.
The Building and Construction Authority said in a statement on Tuesday that it has briefed various industry groups about the situation.
The release of the national stockpile will tide the industry over as supply from other regional sources is ramped up.
The BCA also urged the industry to continue to diligently look for alternative sources and diversify.
- CNA/al
National granite reserve released as Indon supply disrupted
Today Online 5 Feb 14;
SINGAPORE — The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) is activating the release of its national stockpile of granite, in light of the temporary disruption in the supply of granite from Indonesia.
The national stockpile for granite was last activated in 2007, when there was a short disruption. In the same year, the Government activated the national stockpile of sand after the Indonesian government issued a blanket ban on sand exports.
Last month, Indonesia imposed an export ban on a range of mineral exports globally, which has reportedly affected some construction projects here. Yesterday, the BCA said it would activate its granite stockpile from Feb 5 for main contractors who have ongoing projects that require granite for concreting works.
“The release of the national stockpile will tide the industry over, while it ramps up supply from other regional sources. The BCA urges the industry to continue to diligently look for alternative sources and diversify,” the BCA said.
The authority is also helping importers and other stakeholders in the industry to ramp up supply from other sources of granite.
Granite supply disruption expected to have little impact on S'pore construction
Kimberly Spykerman Channel NewsAsia 5 Feb 14;
SINGAPORE: The temporary disruption of granite supply from Indonesia is expected to have minimal impact on the building and construction industry in Singapore.
Industry players said that is because contractors are likely to have other regional sources of the material - such as Indochina and China - that they can count on to tide them over.
The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) said the construction industry has been diversifying its granite sources since 2007, when there was a similar disruption to the supply.
Kenneth Loo, first vice-president of the Singapore Contractors Association, said: “BCA had encouraged suppliers to procure from a distant source as part of their policy... it's very easy for us to ramp up supply to ease the shortage."
Mr Loo is also the executive director of Straits Construction Singapore.
Early last month, the Indonesian government imposed a global ban on a range of mineral exports that include forms of granite.
Contractors in Singapore cautioned that turning to alternative sources could lead to higher shipping costs, which could push up the price of granite slightly.
But they do not expect building projects in Singapore to be impeded.
They are also optimistic that supplies of granite from Indonesia will resume soon.
The BCA said the national granite stockpile will be released to main contractors who have ongoing projects requiring granite for concreting works, to mitigate the impact of the disruption.
HDB said on Wednesday that it does not foresee the disruption having a major impact on the progress and completion of its projects.
Mr Loo said: "Even though the situation is not that bad, actually the move by BCA to release the stockpile is actually very good. I would say it's a gesture that will put the confidence level back in place. People won't panic and there won't be any disruptions."
- CNA/xq
