Colombia cement deliveries up 7% in December

Colombian cement sales increased by 7.6 per cent YoY to 1.135Mt in December 2021 from 1.054Mt in December 2020, according to the country’s statistics office, DANE. Of this total bulk sales were up 18.2 per cent while bagged cement saw a 3.5 per cent expansion.

Sales to ready-mix concrete companies were up 17.9 per cent while retail sales grew by 5.1 per cent YoY. However, construction companies and contractors reported a 5.2 per cent decline in offtake.

Output from domestic cement plants was up 7.8 per cent to 1.268Mt when compared with December 2020, when 1.176Mt was produced.

Full-year 2021
In 2021 total domestic dispatches increased 16.1 per cent to 13.041Mt, up from 11.234Mt in 2020. Bulk sales grew by 20.9 per cent and bagged sales were up 14.1 per cent.

Ready-mix cement companies led the market expansion as this segment saw its offtake increase by 21.5 per cent YoY, followed by the retail sector, which expanded 15.2 per cent. Sales to construction companies and contractors were up 10.9 per cent YoY.

Market growth in 2021 was particularly driven in Valle del Cauca, where sales were up 27.9 per cent YoY, followed by Meta, which reported a 21 per cent sales. In Cundinamarca a 20.9 per cent increase was noted. Cesar saw a 12.1 per cent increase while Atlántico reported a 11.9 per cent increase and Tolima a 10 per cent uptick. The capital region of Bogotá saw sales edge up by 2.1 per cent.

Production levels were up 16.4 per cent YoY from 11.849Mt in 2020 to 13.798Mt in 2021.