Moroccan cement sales stable in February

Cement demand in Morocco remained stable in February 2018, reporting a 0.53 per cent YoY rise to 1,069,926t from 1,064,306t in February 2017, according tot he Ministry of Urbanism and Housing.

Market performance throughout the country varied strongly, ranging from a 29.3 per cent expansion in the small market of Dakhla-Oued Ed-Dahab to a 17.4 per cent contraction in Fès-Mèknes. The country’s largest market of Casablanca-Settat saw sales slip 2.2 per cent YoY to 226,476t. However, Tanger-Tétouan-Al Houceima sales advanced 18.2 per cent to 148,684t and Marrakech-Safi sales increased 5.2 per cent to 144,111t. Sales in the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra area rose by 7.9 per cent to 139,017t while the Oriental market contracted by 5.6 per cent to 100,316t.

For the first two months of 2018, domestic sales slipped 2.1 per cent YoY to 2.185Mt from 2.23Mt the previous year. Casablanca-Settat reported a 5.7 per cent drop in two-month sales to 480,805t while Marrakech-Safi demand rose by 7.4 per cent to 299,284t. Tanger-Tétouan’s offtake was up 5.9 per cent to 290,885t and in Rabat-Salé-Kénitra consumption rose three per cent to 285,483t.