Colombian grey cement market stable in 2018

Dispatches in the Colombian cement market advanced 2.6 per cent to 0.973Mt in December 2018 from 0.949Mt in December 2017, according to the country’s national statistics office, DANE.

Deliveries to ready-mix concretes advanced by 5.8 per cent while construction companies took delivery of an additional two per cent of grey cement when compared with December 2017. Sales in the retail sector increased by 2.2 per cent YoY.

Output from Colombian cement plants rose 6.8 per cent to 1.089Mt in December 2018 from 1.02Mt in December 2017.

Full-year 2018
In 2018 domestic dispatches remained largely stable at 23.02Mt when compared with the previous year. Cement production increased 1.2 per cent to 12.452Mt from 12.299Mt in 2017.

Offtake from the ready-mix concrete companies increased by 4.4 per cent, offsetting the fall in deliveries to construction companies.

In terms of regional variations, the department of Cesar reported the largest increase YoY by 11.8 per cent, followed by Norte de Santander (+8.1 per cent) and Meta (+7.7 per cent). Valle del Cauca deliveries were up 5.2 per cent and Antioquia edged up 1.3 per cent. However, cement deliveries in Casanare contracted by 11.6 per cent YoY, while Santander dispatches declined by 7.5 per cent and Huila by seven per cent. The key market of Bogotá saw deliveries fall by 4.8 per cent and Cundinamarca reported a 4.6 per cent drop in dispatches.