For the 12 months between August 2011 and 2012, cement production in Venezuela stood at 8.3Mt, according to the vice president for Productive Economic Area, Ricardo Menendez on Thursday.

"The first half was the highest in the history of cement production in the country, and the monthly average has remained above 700,000t during the year," Menendez said in a press conference.

The industries minister also noted that this figure is an example of the growth trend experienced in recent years, and in 2010 the production was 7.12Mt, while 2011 closed with an output of 7.76Mt.