Colombia's cement demand falls 5% in August 2017

Grey cement consumption in Colombia in August 2017 reached 1.033Mt, down 5.2 per cent when compared with August 2016, according to the national statistics office, DANE. Some 68 per cent of volumes, or 702,300t, were delivered in bagged form.

The country's cement producers manufactured 1.035Mt of cement in August 2017, which represents a 8.5 per cent YoY decrease.

In the year to date, domestic dispatches slipped 1.3 per cent to 7.961Mt when compared to 8M16 when DANE reported dispatches at 8.068Mt.

The fall has been mainly attributed to a lower offtake from ready-mix concrete companies (-5.7 per cent) and building companies and contractors (-4.1 per cent). Deliveries to the retail sector expanded by 1.3 per cent.

In terms of regions, Santander saw deliveries fall by 7.9 per cent, Casanare by -30 per cent and Norte de Santander by -13.6 per cent. Dispatches in Antioquia rose by 5.3 per cent.

Meanwhile, output from the country's cement plants reached 8.146Mt in the first eight months of the year, down from 8.288Mt in 8M16.