Argentina's cement demand down 20.7%

In July Argentina's cement demand fell 20.7 per cent YoY from 1,069,622t in July 2015 to 847,684t and slipped 1.1 per cent from the 857,525t recorded in June, according to the country cement association, AFCP. Exports also decreased from 4140t in July 2015 to 3696t one year later. Compared with June 2016, they dropped 26.4 per cent.

In the year to date, domestic cement consumption declined 15.2 per cent from 6,946,742t in Jan-Jul 2015 to 5,889,665t in the first seven months of 2016. Argentine cement producers have found little relief in exports as the seven-month total reached 42,042t, down 34.6 per cent when compared with Jan-Jul 2015, when 64,328t of product was dispatched to overseas destinations.

AFCP expects total cement dispatches (domestic demand plus exports) to reach 10.58Mt by the end of the year, reflecting a fall of 13.4 per cent YoY.