Cement demand in Colombia falls 4% in February

Cement consumption in Colombia fell by 4.4 per cent YoY to 1.058Mt in February 2023 from 1.107Mt, according to the country’s statistics office, DANE. Of this total, bagged cement sales showed a 7.1 per cent fall, but bulk sales were up by 1.3 per cent YoY.

Sales to construction companies and contractors contracted by 14.1 per cent while the retail sector saw a six per cent reduction in offtake. Ready-mix concrete company sales increased by 3.6 per cent YoY.

Colombian cement producers dispatched in February 2023 a total of 1.141Mt, up 0.6 per cent from 1.134Mt in February 2022.

January-February 2023
In the first two months of 2023, demand reached 1.988Mt, representing a YoY drop of four per cent from 2.071Mt in the 2M22. Bagged cement sales decreased by 6.1 per cent YoY in February 2023 while bulk sales edged up by 0.7 per cent.

Sales to construction companies and contractors contracted by 16.2 per cent, but sales to ready-mix companies advanced by 4.9 per cent in the 2M23 when compared with the year-ago period. Retail sales declined by 4.9 per cent YoY in the 2M23.

Domestic output edged up by 0.7 per cent to 2.188Mt in the 2M23 from 2.174Mt in the year-ago period.