Colombian cement market contracts to 0.963Mt in January

Cement dispatches in Colombia decreased 2.5 per cent YoY to 963,900t in January 2022 when compared with 989,100t reported in January 2021,when dispatches slipped 0.6 per cent YoYaccording to the national statistics agency, DANE.

Of this total, bulk cement dispatches advanced 8.1 per cent YoY in January 2022, but bagged cement deliveries were down 6.6 per cent YoY, reflecting the development of sales in the different market segments. Ready-mix concrete companies increased their offtake by 11.4 per cent YoY in January 2022, but sales to construction companies and contractors fell by 10.7 per cent. In the retail segments, sales were down 7.1 per cent.

Sales in Bogotá advanced by 5.8 per cent YoY in January 2022, driven by a 12.7 per cent hike in bulk cement sales. In Cundinamarca demand saw a 5.5 per cent rise as bulk sales expanded by 23.7 per cent. In both regions, bulk sales were more than sufficient to offset decreases in bagged sales. Huila led the growth in dispatches with a 6.7 per cent advance, followed by Tolima, where the market expanded by six per cent. Quindio also reported significant growth, at 5.2 per cent, in its market. In Norte de Santander, dispatches were up 4.1 per cent while in Atlántico there was a 2.2 per cent expansion. Meta saw a 1.9 per cent advance while in Valle del Cauca and Antioquia dispatches were up 0.7 and 0.3 per cent, respectively. All other regions of the country reported a drop in sales, ranging from -4.6 per cent in Santander to -43.4 per cent in Sucre.

Domestic production of cement remained largely stable, edging up by 0.6 per cent YoY to 1.04Mt in the first month of 2022. In January 2021 output from Colombian cement plants reached 1.034Mt, down one per cent when compared with January 2020.