Cement demand in Spain reached 46.06Mt in 2003, an all time high, Spanish Cement Makers Association OFICEMEN said on January 21, 2004.  Cement consumption in Spain increased 4.4 per cent year-on-year in 2003. The rate of growth of cement demand was lower than the 4.6 per cent year-on-year rise in 2002 and the 9.0 per cent year-on-year rise registered in 2001. The 2003 increase in cement demand was mainly due to the rise in demand of the domestic construction sector. Spanish cement makers produced 44.6Mt of cement in 2003, a rise of 5.9 per cent year-on-year. In 2003, imports of cement increased 6.5 per cent from 2002 to 8.0Mt, while cement exports dropped 14.7 per cent year-on-year to 1.2Mt.  In December 2003 alone, cement demand totalled 3.2Mt, a 10 per cent year-on-year-increase. In December 2003, production stood at 3.4Mt, up 9.02 per cent, of which 95,500t were exported, a rise of 2.8 per cent year-on-year. Imports dropped 33.7 per cent year-on-year to 437,000t in December 2003.