Vietnam produced 31.59Mt of cement in the first eight months of this year, down two per cent from a year earlier, the Vietnam National Cement Association (VNCA) said.

In August, the country’s cement output decreased 12 per cent from July to 3.77Mt.

By the end of August, the country had an inventory of 630,000t of cement and 2.12Mt of clinker due to the stagnant real estate market.

Cement sales fell eight per cent YoY between January and August though local firms have reduced their cement prices between VND80,000 and VND100,000/t to stimulate consumption.

Vietnam’s cement sales are forecast to reach between 55Mt and 56.5Mt this year, rising 11-12 per cent on year, the Ministry of Construction said.