Star Cement uses riverine route to export its clinker

North East India's leading cement manufacturing company Star Cement has created history by exporting clinker to Bangladesh through a riverine route. On August 10 the company dispatched its first barge of clinker to Bangladesh by the riverine route. The company believes that the river route will definitely be commercially more viable. Thus, Star Cement has become the first Indian cement manufacturer to opt for riverine route to export the clinker. Star Cement said the company is aiming to export over 50,000 tonne of clinker to Bangladesh every month using the river route. Exporting clinker to Bangladesh by the river will give an edge to the company to encounter the stiff competition it is likely to face from manufacturers of Southeast Asian countries, all of whom caters to 99 per cent clinker requirement of Bangladesh, a Star Cement official said. In a pilot project, Star Cement had started clinker export to Bangladesh last year by road. "We believe using the river route will definitely be commercially more viable," Agarwal said. The company has tied up with several leading cement manufacturers of Bangladesh to meet their clinker requirements over a long term and many such deals are in the pipeline.