According to the data released by the National Cement Industry Union (SNIC), the production of cement was of 3.18Mt in September, a decline of 5.3 per cent in relation to August. The accumulated total for 2005 is of an expansion of 5.3 per cent in the production in comparison to the same period last year.  The demand for cement in September, on the other hand, was of 3.04Mt, which implied in a decline of 8.7 per cent in relation to August, but represented the second highest level of consumption of cement during the year. Over the nine month period January to september, there was an increase of 2.9 per cent in relation to the same period in 2004.