Peruvian domestic cement sales stood at 348,796t in September 2004, up 4.1 pct YoY, the country’s Association of Cement Companies (Asocem) said.

In August 2004 domestic cement sales stood at 336,433t. Peruvian cement exports stood at 36,509t in September 2004, compared to 30,883t in August 2004.

Cement sales totalled 2.9Mt on the Peruvian market in the period January to September 2004, a 3.79 pct year-on-year rise. Peruvian cement exports jumped by 43.84 pct to 449,245t in the first nine months of 2004.

 According to the analyst Miguel Leyva of Peruvian bank Banco Wiese Sudameris (BWS), the increase in domestic cement sales will continue, boosted by the Peruvian Government’s housing construction programmes Mivivienda and Techo Propio, and by the growth of housing credits.