National cement consumption in Peru slipped by 4.9 per cent in February 2019 to 0.893Mt, down from 0.9Mt reported in February 2018, according to the country’s cement association, Asocem.

Total cement dispatches by Asocem-related producers were up 5.3 per cent YoY, but decreased by 2.8 per cent MoM to 0.796Mt in February 2019. Of this total, 0.783Mt were delivered to domestic customers, representing a 6.4 per cent rise YoY but a 2.1 per cent drop MoM. Exports of cement were down, by 35 per cent YoY and by 31.9 per cent MoM, to 13,000t. Clinker exports surged to 105,000t following a lack of exports in January. When compared with February 2018, they were up 18.6 per cent.

Cement production advanced 6.7 per cent YoY and slipped 0.6 per cent MoM to 0.801Mt in February 2019 while clinker production increased 2.3 per cent YoY and fell 9.2 per cent MoM to 0.577Mt in the second month of 2019. Domestic production was supplemented by 50,000t of cement imports, representing a fall of 43 per cent when compared with the previous year. However, they more than quadrupled when compared with the 11,000t imported in January 2019. Clinker imports edged up by 3.3 per cent YoY to 44,000t, but when compared with the previous month, they halved.