National dispatches in Colombia edged up by one per cent to 918,300t in January 2019 from 909,400t in January 2018, according to the country’s national statistics office, DANE.

Ready-mix companies and the retail sector increased their off-take by 3.5 and 1.2 per cent, respectively. Bulk sales slipped 0.4 per cent YoY while bagged cement sales advanced 1.6 per cent.

In terms of geographical distribution, the departments of Bolívar and Córdoba reported the largest increases with deliveries up 29.3 and 21.8 per cent, respectively. Additional significant market expansion was also noted in Meta (+16.4 per cent) and Huila (+13 per cent). The key markets of Bogotá and Norte de Santander reported a decline in deliveries of 2.8 and 10.3 per cent, respectively, but sales were up by 3.6 per cent in Antioquia. Cundinamarca saw a market contraction of 4.9 per cent while Valle del Cauca reported a 4.6 per cent fall in dispatches.

Cement production in increased 2.2 per cent to 927,600t in January 2019 when compared with January 2018, when output reached 907,400t.