Lafarge Cement sales rose by five per cent in 2004 to CZK965m (EUR35m) due in part to a revival of domestic construction activity.

Profit from operations soared by 53 percent to CZK179m.

The growth is attributed to rising sales, an extraordinary revenue from the sale of carbon credits and operating savings, spokesperson Milena Hucanova told CTK Business News.

The company, which operates the 1.2Mta Cizkovice cement works, expects a modest growth in sales this year.

Czech cement consumption reached a high of 5.81Mt in 2008, but with the exception of a 2.1 per cent recovery in 2011, continued to fall. The trend is expected to have been broken in 2014, with consumption seen rising by one per cent to 3.2Mt. However, while demand is in the early stages of recovery, a return to the highs of 2008 is not yet in sight.