The value of cement imports into Algeria during the first seven months of 2015 fell from US$352.92m to US$306.94m, down 13 per cent YoY, according to Customs data. In terms of volumes, a 4.4 per cent decrease was noted from 3.83Mt to 3.66Mt.

The fall has been attributed to increased demand for domestically-produced product, encouraged by the government. Since end-2014, developers are no longer allowed to import materials for wholly or partially state-funded projects if a local equivalent is available.