Although the Mexican cement industry grew three per cent in January-July this year, the national cement chamber (Canacem) predicted growth for the year would be just two per cent due to the slow progress in public works, according to newspaper Reforma. Cement production totaled 19.9Mt in the first seven months of 2005, up 2.9 per cent year-on-year. The growth was fairly regular during the period apart from a 10.4 per cent dip in February.
Cement prices apparently slipped 1.44 per cent between July this year and the same month of last year, according to Banco de Méico figures cited by the newspaper. The domestic market is split between Cemex, with a 51 per cent share; Holcim’s Apasco, with 23 per cent; Cruz Azul, 15 per cent; Corporació Moctezuma, six per cent; Grupo Cementos Chihuahua, four per cent, and Lafarge, with just one per cent.
