Malaysia: cement production down 4.2% in six months to June

Demand for cement in Malaysia looks set to grow but slowly in 2016 as production numbers for the first half of the year indicate.

According to reports in the Edge Financial Daily, cement production fell by 4.2 per cent in 1H2016, with demand forecast to grow by just three per cent under the most optimistic projections.

In an interview with Edge, Thierry Legrand, CEO of Lafarge Malaysia, said: “[Demand] is likely lower than last year, as whether the expected infrastructure projects can be realised in [the] second half [of] this year or the end of the year remains to be seen.

"The slow down in [the] property market has impacted the group significantly, as infrastructure works are just a part of the whole construction industry."

In 2015 domestic cement production in Malaysia was 22.3Mt, down slightly on the 22.4Mt produced the previous year.