Spanish cement consumption advances 116% in April
The cement market in Spain has expanded by 116 per cent YoY to 1.239Mt in April 2021 while demand in the first four months of 2021 increased 24.5 per cent YoY to 4.617Mt, according to the country’s cement association, Oficemen.
However, the organisation urges caution as the rise noted in April 2021 is from a low base in April 2020, which saw the lowest sales volume since the start of records 57 years ago. When compared with April 2019, there is a moderate growth of 3.4 per cent.
“However, despite reaching 1.24Mt in the month of April, the highest figure for an April in the last 10 years, we must analyse the data with great caution. We have not yet recovered the levels of cement consumption prior to the pandemic, so the first four months of this year show a drop of four per cent compared to 2019. We will not have until after the summer realistic and reliable figures that allow us to estimate with certain certainty how the sector will close the year,” explains Víctor García Brosa, Oficemen president.
Exports
Meanwhile, exports continue to grow against a background of international uncertainty. In April the country’s cement producers exported 800,000t of cement and in the April 2020-March 2021 exports were up 24.7 per cent YoY. In terms of cement exports, April was the month with the lowest volumes in 2020.
“Once again, we have to take into account when comparing the data, the context of uncertainty in which we continue to be immersed on an international scale, where the openings and closings of markets are still happening due to the pandemic. It is true that there has been a certain rebound in international markets, which are a traditional destination for Spanish cement exports, as is the case in Africa. After the summer we will be able to establish more reliable comparisons, but it is likely that, until next year, and depending on the evolution of the pandemic, we will not be able to assess the real health status of our foreign trade,”,concludes Mr García Brosa.
