Cement News tagged: International
Vietnam's cement exports to China drop 5% in 1Q20
China was the largest market for Vietnamese cement imports in the first quarter of 2020, importing 2.73Mt worth US$96.92m, according to the latest data from the General Department of Vietnam Customs. This was down 5.4 per cent and 13.3 per cent YoY in volume and value, respectively, but still accounted for 35.3 per cent of Vietnam’s export volumes during the quarter. The Philippines importe...
Bangladeshi cement export shows negative trend in 10MFY20
As per data released by Bangladesh Export Promotion Bureau (EPB), Bangladesh's government recorded a significant fall of 13.1 per cent to US$29.49bn in total exports during the first 10 months of the current FY19-20, against US$33.93bn in the corresponding period of FY18-19. Exporters and analysts attributed the drop to the closure of factories, lockdown in major export destinations followed...
No new cement projects expected in Vietnam this year
Vietnam’s cement industry is not expected to see the construction of any new production lines this year, according to Nguyen Quang Cung, chairman of the Vietnam Cement Association (VNCA). Mr Cung noted that the industry is now facing oversupply, creating a challenging environment for cement firms to invest in new factories. The chairman also stated that the Thanh Son project in Thanh Hoa is...
Ukraine cement output up 6% in 1Q20
Ukrainian cement plants have increased their output by 6.3 per cent YoY in the first quarter of 2020, according to Esmerk CIS News. In January-March 2020 a total of 1.625Mt of cement were produced in the country. If the current growth trend continues, production volumes are expected to exceed 10Mt by the end of the year.
Mahendra Singhi considers COVID-19 impact on the Indian cement industry
Mahendra Singhi, president of India’s Cement Manufacturers Association and managing director and CEO of Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Ltd, opened Cemtech’s third live webinar yesterday. Mr Singhi started by recognising the severe impacts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. In India, for example, the scale of the nationwide lockdown is the largest ever seen. As a result, the pace of its economy has co...
Pakistan's April dispatches hit by COVID-19
All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers' Association (APCMA) released dispatch figures for April 2020 and cumulative 10MFY19-20, showing mixed impact of COVID-19. Cement dispatches in the country have declined in April 2020 by 23.7 per cent to 3.52Mt from 4.61Mt in April 2019 as both exports and domestic markets crashed, owing to the considerable impact of COVID-19. However, total dispatches inche...
Lafarge Africa provides NGN500m intervention fund to alleviate COVID-19 challenges
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Lafarge Africa (LafargeHolcim group) has deployed a NGN500m (US$1.28m) intervention fund to provide medical infrastructure, food and essential medications to its host communities. During the first phase of the intervention launched on the 6 April 2020, the company converted two of its facilities in Sagamu and Ashaka to be used as isolation centres, and a...
Iran sees 32% rise in exports
Over 17.5Mt of cement and clinker were exported from Iran in the past Iranian calendar year, ending 21 March 2020. The figure registered a 32 per cent growth compared with the previous year, according to Abdolreza Sheikhan, head of Iran's Cement Employers Association. "Cement accounted for 6.7Mt and clinker for 10.8Mt of the total sum," said Mr Sheikhan. "Our main export destinations over th...
Oman enforces anti-dumping measures
Oman’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry has helped introduce screening measures at the country’s border to reduce cement dumping. The anti-dumping measures began in March but have reportedly been ramped up alongside restrictions on the cross-border movement of goods in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Oman Daily Observer. "We are delighted by the action initiated by the g...
Moroccan cement dispatches contract 56% in April
Morocco’s cement deliveries saw 55.5 per cent drop to 552,472t in April 2020 from 1,241,463t in April 2019, according to the members of the country’s cement association, APC. In the first four months of 2020, dispatches declined by 20.6 per cent to 3.919Mt from 4.808Mt in the 4M2019. APC members are Votorantim-owned Asment Temara, Ciments de l’Atlas, Ciments du Maroc (HeidelbergCement) and ...
PPC announces operational update for April
PPC has released an update for its African operations during April. PPC Barnet in the DRC has been able to continue to operate and is expected to produce similar volumes compared to the same period last year. Cimerwa and PPC Zimbabwe have also partially resumed operations in Rwanda and Zimbabwe, respectively, in the second half of April. Cement sales volumes in these countries are expected to...
Vietnamese cement dispatches slip in March
Vietnamese producers supplied 6,508,053t of cement to the domestic market in March 2020, according to the Vietnam National Cement Association (VNCA). This represents a decrease of one per cent YoY but a 55 per cent MoM rise. VICEM sales in March 2020 fell five per cent YoY but rose 61 per cent MoM to 2,224,216t while deliveries by its affiliates saw a nine per cent YoY drop and 50 per cent r...
Kenya's cement consumption recovers in January
Kenyan cement consumption reached a 17-month-high in January 2020, according to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS). Demand hit 528,904t during the month and marked the second straight month of recovery. The last time consumption was above this level was in August 2018 at 531,119t. The recovery is expected to relieve pressure on cement producers in the country which has seen new ...
GCCA hosts webinar forum on Global Health & Safety
The Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) held its first Global Health & Safety Forum (webinar) on World Day for Safety at Work. The forum consisted of five presentations with coverage of GCCA's guidelines and sustainability toolbox, road and driving safety, contractor management, occupational health, and hotspot activities and countries. The forum, which attracted more than 300 pa...
Senegal sees another cement tax rise
Senegal’s President, Macky Sall, has imposed a tax of XOF2000/t (US$3.30/t) on cement to finance social housing, according to Le Quotidien. The latest increase follows a XOF3000 hike only a few months earlier and cement producers have warned that the new tax will lead to a rise in cement prices and a spike in building material prices. However, consumers have disputed the arguments of the c...
US Portland and blended cement market expands 7% in January
Total shipments of Portland and blended cement, including imports, in the US and Puerto Rico increased by 7.4 per cent YoY to 6.9Mt in January 2020, according to data from the US Geological Survey (USGS). Around 47 per cent of total shipments were received by the five leading cement-consuming states – Texas, California, Florida, Georgia and North Carolina. Product was mainly manufactured in Te...