Spanish cement producers can only hope for a better 2014 as demand figures for January 2014 show a 13.6 per cent fall to 764,011t, according to the country’s cement association, Oficemen.

However, the rate of market contraction appears to be slowing somewhat. Over the past 12 months, consumption fell by 18.7 per cent. But recovery seems some time away as the result is worse than predicted. Oficemen had indicated in December that it expects a 7-8 per cent decrease for 2014.