Mexican cement industry optimistic about announced housing programmes

The Mexican cement industry has welcomed announcement of social housing programmes by the new government voted into office last July.

"In Mexico there are 7 million families with the potential to enter into schemes of construction or improvement of housing. Meeting their needs can be a growth driver; This type of initiative has been very successful in Colombia and Peru,” said Mauricio Doehner, president of CANACEM, the national cement chamber.

However, Mr Doehner’s optimism included a cautious note, saying that the first year of each government is complicated for the construction industry and that inflation presents challenges to cement producers. “Our costs have increased between 12-14 per cent – much more than the consumer price index,” he added.