Moroccan cement market contracts 15% in March

Moroccan cement demand declined 15.1 per cent YoY in March 2018 to 1,124,152t from 1,324,221t in the third month of 2017, according to the latest data from the country's Ministry of Housing and Urbanisation.

The Casablanca-Settat market, the largest in the country, saw its requirement in March decrease by 19.1 per cent YoY to 236,503. However, dispatches to the Marrakech-Safi area saw a 7.9 per cent YoY increase to 176,785t while in Rabat-Salé-Kenira, they were down 19.5 per cent to 129,680t. Tanger-Tétouan noted a 27.7 per cent fall in deliveries to 118,030t. The decline in the Oriental market was more modest at 8.1 per cent to 115,069t. With a demand of 111,778t, Souss-Massa deliveries fell by 12.4 per cent.

For the first three months of the year, consumption fell 6.9 per cent YoY as domestic sales were reported at 3,308,935t, compared to 3,554,711t in 1Q17.