Tunisia-based Société Les Ciments de Bizerte reported a 20.9 per cent fall in total sales to TND24,494,717 (US$7.011m) in the second quarter of 2023 from TND30,961,761 in the 2Q22. All sales were within Tunisia due to a halt in exports due to a lack of competitiveness following a surge in energy costs. Compared with the 2Q22, domestic revenues were down 6.9 per cent from TND26,310,909, following a 19.5 per cent drop in sales across the board (cement, clinker and lime) in the 2Q23.

Cement production fell by 25.9 per cent in the 2Q23 to 109,855t while clinker output was down 41.5 per cent when compared with the 2Q22. The reduced clinker output was attributed to petcoke supply issues, but sufficient clinker stocks enabled the company to continue its cement production.