Cement News tagged: International
Ethiopia invites private sector to address cement shortage
To end the chronic shortage of cement in the market, Ethiopia’s Ministry of Trade and Industry has prepared a new guideline to introduce the private sector to the supply chain. The measure went into effect from 31 August 2020. State Minister of Trade and Industry, Eshete Asfaw, said the guidelines are mainly prepared to sustain the supply chain and allow the private sector to take part in ce...
Germany's VDZ extends cautious outlook
Speaking about the development of the German cement market, Christian Knell, president of Germany's cement association VDZ, says "It has rarely been so difficult to make a forecast as it is this year.” Since March 2020 the coronavirus pandemic has created a great deal of uncertainty amongst most people and companies in this country. So far the cement manufacturers have had no grounds for com...
Cement demand in Colombia slips 2% in July
Cement dispatches in Colombia fell 1.8 per cent YoY to 1.093Mt in July 2020 from 1.113Mt in July 2019, according to the country’s statistics office, DANE. Offtake by ready-mix concrete companies declined 17.5 per cent, but retail sales were up 6.5 per cent when compared with July 2019. Sales to building companies and contractors were down 7.8 per cent YoY. The largest reduction in sales took...
Czech cement production reaches 4.57Mt in 2019
Cement output in the Czech cement industry increased 3.2 per cent YoY to 4.57Mt, a level not seen since 2008, reports the Czech news agency, CTK. In the last six years, cement production has increased by more than 40 per cent. Sales expanded by 1.5 per cent YoY to 3.84Mt, according to preliminary data of the Czech cement producers association. Exports rose by 1.9 per cent YoY to 760,613t, ...
Zimbabwe sees demand up in July
PPC says demand for cement in Zimbabwe is very strong, despite effects of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. In its latest operational update, the regional cement producer reported that its operations ramped up in May in all regional operations, including Zimbabwe. “The total cement volumes sold by the international subsidiaries also showed double-digit growth comparing July 2020 with July 20...
Belarus produces 2.3Mt of cement in 1H20
In January-June 2020 Belarus manufactured nearly 2.3Mt of cement, 102.3 per cent up on 1H19. In the same period, the cement industry enterprises made nearly BYN400m (US$150m) worth of industrial products, 12.4 per cent up from 1H19. The Belarusian Cement Co made 851,900t of cement in 1H20, a rise of 104.1 per cent compared to 1H19. The company increased sales by 10.3 per cent to BYN453.3m (...
Eswatini faces cement shortage
Significant players in Eswatini’s construction industry have seen projects stall due to a cement shortage, according to The Swazi Observer. Nhlanhla Dlamini, CEO of the Construction Industry Council, has announced that a meeting was convened with the association of builders, manufacturers and suppliers to deliberate on the issue. "We are aware of the cement shortage which has been caused by...
Indonesian cement market contracts 16% in July
Cement demand in Indonesia declined 16.3 per cent YoY to 5.3Mt in July 2020, according to the Indonesian Cement Association (ASI). The market of Sulawesi saw the largest contraction at 26.1 per cent to 413,000t. However, the drop in consumption in the key markets of Sumatra and Java had a greater impact. In Java cement demand fell by 19.7 per cent to 2.96Mt while in Sumatra, consumption decl...
Cement prices rise in Malawi
Cement prices in Malawi have reportedly increased by 33 per cent in the past two weeks to MWK8000 (US$10.79) per 50kg bag, with the hike attributed to a shortage, according to The Business Times (Malawi). Cement Products Ltd (CPL) has condemned traders for raising the prices saying the wholesale price has not changed. Meanwhile, the country’s Ministry of Trade has reported that the increase...
Puerto Rican cement market expands 24% in July
Cement demand in Puerto Rico advanced 23.8 per cent YoY to 60,546t (1.42m bags of 42.6kg) when compared with 49,033t (1.15m bags) in July 2019, according to data by the country’s statistics institute. Cement sales fell in 2019 and the first few months of 2020 before plummeting in March and April due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which stalled economic activity. In May demand started to recover wi...
Chilean cement market contracts 14% in 6M20
Cement dispatches in Chile fell 15.4 per cent YoY in May 2020 to 291,781t from 345,001t in May 2019, according to the Chilean Chamber of Construction (CChC). In June the market continued to contract, with sales down 26.9 per cent YoY to 213,502t from 291,979t in June 2019. In the first six months of 2020 demand in the South American country declined 13.7 per cent YoY to 1,781,388t from 2,065...
Vietnam reports surge in exports in July
Cement sales in Vietnam fell eight per cent YoY but edged up by two per cent to 5.335Mt in July 2020, according to the Vietnam National Cement Association (VNCA). Of this total, VICEM dispatched 1.765Mt, down six per cent YoY but up four per cent MoM, while its joint ventures saw sales decrease by 13 per cent YoY although MoM they advanced one per cent. VNCA reported sales of other Vietnamese ...
Government plans new cement units near power stations
Nitin Raut, a cabinet minister for the government of Maharashtra, India, has stated that the Maha-Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government has plans to set up new cement units near power plants in the state. The pilot project would reportedly be at the Khaparkheda Thermal Power Station (KTPS). "We’ve completed formalities like studying feasibility of such units in our plants’ vicinity. It would be a joi...
Uzbekistan reports lower construction material imports
Uzbekistan saw construction material imports decline 20.9 per cent YoY to US$592.2m in the first half of 2020, according to the State Statistics Committee. The most noticeable decrease was seen in cement imports, which declined by more than 2.2 times to US$48.4m. However, the volume of construction work carried out in the country increased by 5.7 per cent compared to the 1H19. There are a...
Bangladesh cement prices remain stable
The price of a 50kg bag of cement in Bangladesh is remaining stable after a sudden hike in 2019, according to The Financial Express. "Currently, we are selling a bag of cement at BDT400-440 (US$4.7-5.2) varying from one manufacturer to others," said Wahid Uz Zaman, a dealer in the city's green road. "People are now investing less on construction works, considering the disruptions in econ...
Yguazu stops production due to transformer issues
Paraguay’s Yguazu Cement stated on social media that it stopped production on 12 August 2020 due to an issue with a transformer. The producer continued dispatching cement until 14 August 2020, when its supplies ran out. While it has not yet been able to find a similar transformer locally, it may either rent generators or even import cement, according to reports. The news follows the countr...