Colombian market expands 14% in October

Colombia’s cement production jumped 18.4 per cent YoY to 1.4Mt in October while deliveries increased by 13.9 per cent to 1.032Mt, according to the country’s national statistics office, DANE.

Norte de Santander noted the biggest rise in deliveries with 52.2 per cent, followed by Caldas (31.5 per cent), Bolivar (27.3 per cent), Ontario (27 per cent) and Antioquia (17.7 per cent). In Bogotá demand rose by 4.8 per cent.

The rise in consumption has been attributed to several new hotel and office projects as well as to a programme for the construction of subsidised housing.

For the period Jan-Oct, shipments rose by 2.7 per cent while production was up 1.9 per cent. Córdoba registered the highest growth with 23.2 per cent while Bolivar, Atlántico and Cundinamarca saw their markets expand by 16.9, 16.3 and 14.3 per cent, respectively. Bogotá saw sales fall by 7.8 per cent.