Pak's first shipment of cement to reach India by August-end

New Delhi, Aug 3 (UNI) Pakistan Commerce Secretary Syed Asif Shah today said the first consignment of cement will arrive in India by the end of this month.

''We will supply the first consignment of cement to India by August-end,'' Mr Shah told reporters here.

Earlier, the first batch of cement had already arrived which was not accepted due to some standardisation issues.

''The issues has now been worked out,'' Mr Shah said.

Without disclosing the quantity of the shipment, he said the countries had agreed on independent grading of the commodity.

''The Indian officials have already inspected three factories in Pakistan and three more are in the pipeline,'' said Mr Shah.

The shipment would arrive from the three factories that have been approved, he added.

Pakistan produces about 35 million tonnes (MT) of cement, of which 22 MT is consumed within the country.

UNI