APC members see May sales fall 13%

Asment Temara, Ciments de l’Atlas, Ciments du Maroc and LafargeHolcim Maroc – members of Morocco’s cement association, APC – have seen their sales rise by 1.9 per cent YoY to 5.868Mt in the first five months of 2019 when compared with 5.761Mt in the 5M18, according to the country's Ministry of Urbanisation. However, in May sales fell by 13 per cent YoY to 1.06Mt from 1.219Mt in May 2018.

Sales have been affected by Ramadan and celebrations of Eid El Fitr and Eid Lakbir, according to an APC spokesperson. However, cement producers are watching the general building market and the housing sector in particular, as these account for 75-80 per cent of cement demand. Housing starts have shown stability in recent years, improving by five per cent YoY in 2018.