Peruvian cement market contracts 17% in February

Cement demand in Peru fell by 17 per cent YoY to 0.883Mt in February 2023 from 1.068Mt in the year-ago period, according to the country’s cement association, Asocem. Of this total, 0.856Mt were dispatched by Asocem members.

Cement production in February 2022 declined 17 per cent YoY to 0.865Mt from 1.037Mt in February 2022. Clinker production expanded by seven per cent YoY to 0.759Mt in February 2023.

In terms of exports, cement exports were down by a quarter to 11,000t in February 2023 while clinker exports saw a 33 per cent drop to 34,000t.

Cement imports edged up by 0.4 per cent to 49,000t in February 2023 when compared with February 2022. A total of 45,700t of cement imports was supplied by Vietnam with an additional 3600t entering Peru via Chile. Clinker imports, all from South Korea, increased by 114 per cent to 88,000t in February 2023 from 41,000t in February 2021.

January-February 2023
Total cement consumption in Peru slipped by three per cent YoY to 13.18Mt in the first two months of 2023 from 13.54Mt.

Output from domestic plants saw a minor decline of 0.5 per cent in January-February 2023 to 12.89Mt when compared with 12.95Mt of production in the equivalent period of the previous year.

Cement exports in the 2M23 decreased to 26,000t from 33,000t in the 2M22, representing a 26.9 per cent YoY drop. Clinker exports fell by 42.6 per cent from 122,000t in the January-February 2022 period to 70,000t in the 2M23.

Cement imports in the 2M23 dropped 44.9 per cent to 54,000t from 98,000t in the 2M22 while clinker imports were down 54.2 per cent to 88,000t from 192,000t over the same period.