Cement dispatches in Colombia increased 5.3 per cent to 1.079Mt in February 2021 when compared with 1.025Mt in February 2020, according to the country’s statistics office, DANE.

Bagged cement sales were up by 11.8 per cent in February but bulk sales fell 7.2 per cent YoY. The retail sector accounted for all of this growth, with sales expanding by 16.9 per cent. In contrast, there was an 11 per cent drop in offtake by ready-mix concrete companies while sales to construction companies and contractors slipped by 0.7 per cent.

In terms of regions, Norte de Santander saw the largest market expansion at 36 per cent YoY in February 2021, followed by Nariño (26 per cent), Huila (22.5 per cent), Casanare (21.2 per cent) and Santander (16.9 per cent). In the capital Bogotá sales were down 5.9 per cent while in Valle del Cauca and Antioquia they remained largely stable.

Output from domestic cement plants rose by 9.4 per cent YoY to 1.14Mt from 1.042Mt.

January-February 2021
Total dispatches in the first two months of 2021 advanced 2.4 per cent to 2.068Mt from 20.19Mt in the 2M20.

Cement production reached 2.174Mt in the 2M21, representing a 4.2 per cent increase when compared with the 2M20 when Colombia’s cement plants produced 2.088Mt.