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.