Colombian cement market contracts 4% in January

Cement dispatches in Colombia declined 4.2 per cent YoY to 0.891Mt in January 2024 when compared with 0.93Mt dispatched in January 2023, reports the country’s statistics office, DANE. The decrease was attributed by DANE to a drop in sales in Norte de Santander (-38.9 per cent YoY), Valle del Cauca (-11.7 per cent) and Atlántico (-12.4 per cent).

Bagged cement sales declined by six per cent YoY with decreases in dispatches in Norte de Santander (-32.9 per cent), Valle del Cauca (-13.2 per cent) and Hula (-30.9 per cent) as key factors in the decline. Bulk sales slipped by 0.5 per cent YoY during this period, mainly due to the 64.7 per drop in bulk sales in Norte de Santander.

Sales to construction companies and contractors remained stable, but ready-mix concrete companies reduced their off-take by 4.5 per cent. Retail sales were down 4.4 per cent YoY.

Domestic cement production saw a 4.4 per cent drop to 1.001Mt in January 2024 from 1.048Mt in the year-ago period.