Colombian cement market expands 12% in July

Colombia’s cement consumption increased 12.4 per cent YoY in July 2019 to 1.113Mt, reports the country’s statistics office, DANE. Domestic cement production increased 9.5 per cent YoY in July 2019 to 1.118Mt.

Building companies and contractors increased their offtake by 15.8 per cent YoY while sales in the retail sector rose by 12.4 per cent. Sales to ready-mix concrete companies increased by 9.5 per cent.

Sales in the key market of Antioquia were up 15.2 per cent YoY in July while in Valle del Cauca the market expanded by 23.3 per cent. In Bolívar deliveries rose by 24.3 per cent. Cundinamarca reported a market expansion of 9.4 per cent while in Bogotá sales were up by 9.4 per cent.

In the first seven months of 2019 total domestic dispatches edged up 3.9 per cent to 7.064Mt when compared with the 7M18. Output from the country’s cement plants advanced 4.8 per cent YoY to 12.755Mt.