Turkish cement sales decline 41% in Jan-Apr 2019

Turkish cement sales in the local market declined 41 per cent YoY in the January-April 2019 period due to a weak housing market, the overall slowdown in the country’s economy and unfavourable weather conditions, according to Nihat Ozdemir, head of the Turkish Cement Manufacturers' Association (TCMB). In line with the demand issues, production fell 33 per cent YoY in the first four months of 2019.

Mr Ozdemir also stated that the price of cement is currently around EUR35/t, which “is well below the prices in other countries.”

The capacity utilisation rate in Turkey dipped to 54 per cent in 2018. Domestic producers have turned to foreign markets to compensate for the poor demand. Therefore, in the 1H19, exports increased 38 per cent YoY to 5.3Mt while clinker shipments surged 116 per cent YoY to 6Mt.