Colombian cement dispatches fell 7.6 per cent to 0.905Mt in June 2020 when compared with 0.979Mt in June 2019, according to data provided by the country’s statistical office, DANE. Sales of bagged cement fell 3.1 per cent YoY while bulk cement deliveries were down 16.8 per cent in June 2020.

Ready-mix concrete companies reduced their offtake by 22.4 per cent YoY while deliveries to building companies and contractors fell by 12.6 per cent. The retail sector reported a sales increase of one per cent when compared with June 2019.

Sales in Bogotá declined by 21.7 per cent YoY in June 2020 while in Cundinamarca the local market contracted by 20.9 per cent, with a similar trend in Meta and Cesar. In Valle del Cauca and Atlántico sales were down 18.7  and 17 per cent, respectively. However, Norte de Santander reported a 17.1 per cent increase in offtake while Casanare and Sucre saw their local market expand by 26 and 29.2 per cent, respectively.

Output from domestic cement plants declined 4.7 per cent to 0.978Mt in June from 1.026Mt in the year-ago period.

January-June 2020
In the January-June 2020 period total cement dispatches in Colombia dropped 22.5 per cent YoY to 4.162Mt from 5.951Mt in the 6M19.

Output in the first six months of 2020 decreased 20.8 per cent YoY to 4.882Mt from 6.168Mt in the previous year’s equivalent period.

July 2018-June 2019
In the past 12 months, national dispatches have fallen eight per cent from 12.154Mt in July 2018-June 2019 to 11.177Mt in July 2019-June 2020. Production has decreased 7.5 per cent from 12.662Mt to 11.709Mt over the same period.